Titans Rhapsody
by Imaginarivalued
Summary: The Titans have to face more challenges as the time goes on. Shadow fiends and ominous names.....
1. Preface

**A. Note**: This story is reposted and revised due to my distaste in my own work. It had begun well enough, until I took the time to look at all the mistakes in spelling, grammar, (Tigeress419 made good notifications on those) and some misplaced scenes. So I decided to remake some of the scenes and writings, though most of it remains the same. The title, however, has changed, since it was named after a certain large part of the story, but it doesn't make sense to have it in the beginning. So, my apologies for that. Hopefully, I can be confidant enough to try and finish this story. This story is my warped sense of need to give the Titans more development, though many great stories, ended and ongoing, have pretty much done it already. But I'm going to give it a whirl, maybe some people will like it.

**General information**: This story is basically more of an AU, since there's going to be a lot of changes for Robin in the first portion. New characters are introduced, and it's starting after the episode 'Haunted', so it has a lot of intended creepiness and anguish. The genre will change as the story goes into another stage. The Titans' age will also be altered after the first saga, which is centered on Robin, duh.

Standard disclaimer of ownership and properties apply readily.

Titans Rhapsody

_**--TT**_

"Gaaaahhh!!!" Robin shot up sweating and panting, and quickly pressed a hand to his right eye, covering a portion of his face.

Visions of darkness and corruption lingered in his mind, and he couldn't banish them from his mind.

Pushing off the covers, the boy resumed panting and huffing as perspiration formed across his entire body.

Interesting enough, he had worn a muscle shirt and some sweat pants to sleep in, instead of just plopping on his bed with his uniform like usual.

With the one hand still pressed to his masked eye and face, he shifted his body so his legs dangled from his bed.

Heart beat. Pant. Heart beat. Pant. Heart beat. Pant. Heart beat. Pant. Heart beat. Pant.

He waited patiently for his heart rate and breath to slow, and felt a chill invade his senses as his adrenaline died.

"X'hal...." He muttered, while wiping some of the sweat off his chin and forehead.

_Don't know when I picked that one up. _

Finally calm enough to think, he trailed back to the haunting visions, and shivered. He thought about the dream prior to his apprenticeship under Slade, where he fought the madman in an earthen landscape of stone pillars.

He shuddered at the ending and implication of that nightmare. Destruction, evil, insanity, all these described that madman, a very resourceful and sadistic madman. By the end of the fight, he was told that everything he cared for he destroyed, and gaped in horror at the fallen stones shaped like his friends.

But the worst came when he peeled away the mask of Slade. He saw his own face behind that bastard's mask. The horrible laughter still echoes in his mind, mocking him, taunting him, tempting him. He was soon to realize though, that Slade's insufferable voice wasn't the only thing gauging him.

He half expected, no, wished, to see Cyborg charge into his room and yell 'trouble' and perhaps even the name 'Slade'. But unfortunately for him, he was only granted the silence of the night.

Feeling like absolute shit by now, the Boy Wonder made his way out of his sanctuary/work room.

Hearing the distinct 'swoooooosh' of the door, he made way to the main room, where the kitchen was connected to.

The entire tower was dark and quite, one definitely could not be able to see one's own fingers. But Robin's trained eyes and senses made it relatively easy to navigate his path.

He stopped briefly in front of each of his teammates' room, and each time he stopped, he would use his index finger to write out of the name of the person in the air.

C-Y-B-O-R-G. His very first android of a friend.

B-E-A-S-T (he mouthed the word 'space') B-O-Y. The changeling that represented a fun loving vegetarian.

R-A-V-E-N. The gothic girl with some dangerous and forbidden emotions.

S-T-A-R-F-I-R-E. The special Tamaranian girl who is his best friend.

He had stopped longer in front of Starfire's door, silently brooding.

Robin resumed walking in the darkness.

-----------------------

-----------------------

Rob had managed to find the refrigerator and searched through its contents.

"Nothing." He spoke softly and emotionlessly, and shut the door.

He walked tiredly towards the couch and sat down. He held his head in his hands and sighed, panting slightly from a mixture of emotions. Frustration, fear, despair, and whatever else his personal hell conjured up.

But he knew the number one emotion was fear.

The Boy Wonder rubbed his right arm, slowly and in rhythm, as if to comfort himself. Peering at the infinitesimal blackness that was the result of the lack of light, he noted how much the familiar room suddenly became foreign to him.

He decided he desperately needed to clear his thoughts, and treaded towards the entrance that brought him to the top of the tower.

Ever since he and Starfire had watched the sunrise on the roof after the Blackfire incident, it became a sort of a sanctuary, a place where he could find solace.

_The roof became a special place_, he thought grimly, but the romantic idea of it offered some comfort.

After his presence disappeared completely from the room, a figure showed up from the halls, whose identity was given away by a dim, green glow.

The person watched silently as the Boy Wonder made his way to the roof, careful not to be detected. Once the coast was clear, the person sighed.

The person, now evidently Starfire, slowly began to walk towards the rooftop entrance.

She halted halfway, peering at the emptiness of the darkness. She took an additional step forward, stopped. She sighed, in defeat, levitated in the air, and floated back into her room.

Curling up in the sheets of her bed, the Tamaranian princess hugged the soft pillow to her chest, and buried her face in its gentle surface.

"_Kerlop......in'luri......Robin..."_ The girl mumbled, holding the pillow slightly away from her face so she could see her surroundings, though she didn't actually look at anything.

Starfire laid on the bed, hoping for sleep that never came.

-----------------------

-----------------------

The night sky was breath taking, with constellations brimming brilliantly. Normally, Robin would at least comment on the beauty of such a clear sky, and perhaps even go back into the tower and invite Starfire to join him and observe the universe in art form.

But right now, he only cared about the night.

Jump city looked suspiciously similar to Gotham to the Boy Wonder presently. It currently possessed an atmosphere of dust and haze that surrounded the buildings. The ocean waves gently caressed the shoreline of the sandy beach as the night winds blew.

He subconsciously reached for a utility belt he didn't have on, and spat as his hand touched only his waist.

"Aaaaarrrrghhh!!!!" He suddenly threw a punch at nothing, just shadow boxing as it seems.

"Kyah!!!" A kick.

"Errggh!!" A jumping spin kick, followed by several lightning quick jabs.

He leapt into the air, "Raaghh!!" and performed a powerful heel drop, though still at nothing.

The teen suddenly stopped and his masked eyes thinned. He sat down, cross legged, and punched the ground.

"Arrgh!!!" THUNK!!! Pieces of debris flew from the impact, and the fist began to bleed, but the Boy Wonder didn't care.

He knew he wanted to go back inside and pummel some punching bags in the gymnasium, to tire himself out enough so he'd cease thinking irrationally. He didn't even know where the anger came from in the first place.

No, he knew, he just didn't want to think about it.

But he didn't want to disturb the slumber of his teammates, especially in the night if he was the one with a problem. He resigned to just sitting on the rooftop and bask within the limitless embrace of the night.

He had been weak, with the images of Slade in his dreams haunting him, and the memories of his apprenticeship under that lunatic taunting him. Even afterwards, a reagent in Slade's mask had caused him to become delusional and almost died because of it.

"Slade......" Robin muttered, weakly, but full of ferocious anger.

He had PLEADED with Slade, though the man wasn't real, when the effects of the reagent had neared its lethal end. He can still feel the infernal anger burn within him, his utter most hatred for the man called Slade. The need to be strong was always a center focus for Robin, he was the fearless leader of the Titans, he was the one who came up with strategies, he was the one who his friends could rely on the most. Yet in the end he reprimanded and threatened them.

Robin couldn't make sense of anything anymore. Why he couldn't rid Slade from his mind? Why just after the haunting, he was immediately bid back by the darkness? He was supposed to be cured, purified, rid of the dark taint that compelled him to create Red X. The zinothium powered suit was a mistake he promised himself to correct, and in the end, it probably made things worse. Even now, the belt laid beguilingly inside one of his safe locks.

The leader went into the gym a couple hours later.

-----------------------

-----------------------

The night had passed, and the early morning sun graced the land.

Cyborg, the titanium, sonic cannon enforced android walked into the main room, hoping to be able to make some breakfast before Beast Boy woke up, he didn't have the patience this morning to argue with the meat hater.

He was mildly surprised to find Raven awake and already meditating near the couch. The gothic girl usually showed up to breakfast much later than the rest of the team, though he never really knew the reason.

"Morning, Rae. You're up early." Cyborg called to the floating girl, silently debating about the intelligence, or lack of, in his action.

Fortunately, she didn't seem to mind. She whirled around in her levitated position to face the Titan.

"You're up just as early."

Cyborg smiled. "Yeah, but I'm battery powered, just need to recharge to look this good, you girl, need sleep."

"I'm fine." Raven shot back.

Cyborg shook his head. "Unless it's the latest fashion sense, then you've got the worst kind of bags under anyone's eyes."

Surely enough, Raven had very developed bags under her eyes, indicating an extreme lack of sleep; this prospect was further enforced as she yawned.

"I said I'm-auuuuuuuuuuu...."

Cyborg smirked.

She glared. "Shut up."

Shaking his head, the male teen relented.

"As long as you get some beauty sleep later, you desperately need it right-"A plant behind him disintegrated into nothing.

"But you look absolutely gorgeous anyways." He took a look at the plant. "Robin's gonna be mad at you for that, I think he waters it everyday."

Raven kept her glare, but whirled back around so her back faced him. He scratched his head.

"Anyone less cranky up? Beast Boy's probably still drooling like a mutt and muttering something about 'tofu', kind of still sick since......you know."

"Robin's in the gym."

Cyborg raised his human eyebrow. "What's he doing in the gym this early? Don't tell me..."

"He's beating the living hell out of at least a dozen punching bags by now."

"What!? You're serious!?" He walked towards her when she didn't reply.

"Raven, what's going on? Why's the fearless leader so worked up, and why are you all drowsy like you just watched an all night marathon of 'Karate Foosball'?"

Raven stifled a yawn and opened an eye to look at him.

"I hate those movies."

"Stop avoiding the question, Rae. Something's seriously not right with Boy Wonder. He's acting like he's under the influence of that reagent again, maybe there's some after effects of that dust, let me go make a quick sc-."

"Nothing's wrong with him, Cyborg." Raven exclaimed, "And there's no malignant substance affecting him. He's just frustrated with some pent up emotions, very strong emotions." She spoke with a tone that Cyborg couldn't understand.

Cyborg blinked then looked towards the gym. "My scanners are picking up a LOT of heat. Not to mention some very angry teenage grunts."

Silence dominated the room.

"Maybe I should go talk to the dude, if he's going insane, someone needs to help him."

"Then go, cannon fodder, we'll clean up your ashes." Raven spoke, emotionless.

"Huh?"

She sighed and shook her head.

"You do remember how he acted when we tried to console him in his affected state. He threatened us, though he was under influence. It's useless to talk to him when his state of mind isn't exactly rational."

Cyborg grimaced at the memory when their leader was seriously considering attacking them.

He clenched his fists. "Why is everything going wrong!? Robin needs anger management, Beast Boy's sick like an overdosed Chihuahua, and Starfire's not even seen around the tower!" He glanced at the direction of the gym.

Raven resumed her position. "Calm down." She commanded. "Robin is suffering from very painful physical and emotional strain. Whatever conflicts he's having in his mind, anger is a byproduct. Which is why telling him to calm down won't help, because that's not the core issue."

"Then what is!? Aren't you concerned? Isn't that why you've stayed up all night?"

Raven opened her eyes. "I don't get concerned. Worrying won't do anyone any good."

Cyborg snorted. "Yeah, just like how you handled your 'I don't do fear' syndrome, and turned the entire tower in a freaky haunted house."

"I'm not the moron who wanted to quit just because he got into an argument."

"Hey! Robin blew up at me just because of **ONE** failed attempt at-"

"Exactly what might happen again if you go in there to talk to him." Cyborg stopped.

Raven continued. "Whether we admit it or not, Robin's mood affects us all. All of us are frustrated by his recent incident, but it is different this time, there is no reagent, and there is no Slade. He's the only one who can help himself."

"A lot of good that'll do. He's been doing this workaholic shenanigan since Slade showed his ugly face! You remember Red X!" He sighed. "It's frustrating, seeing things falling into pieces."

Raven stopped her levitation and let her feet touch the ground. "Well then, let us go and talk to him."

Cyborg frowned. "Wait, I thought you just said we should leave Robin's issues alone!? Why the sudden one-eighty?"

"Because you're bitching too much, and even I have limits to complaining."

".....didn't know you cursed, Rae."

"You bring out the worst in me, metaphorically speaking, of course."

"You're welcome." He smirked.

Raven walked towards the kitchen and spoke. "If you want talk to him, it's best if you develop a constructive, premeditated plan. If you fail the first time, you'll only make things worse."

"But I don't even know what he's upset about." Cyborg said confused.

Raven groaned. "This is why I didn't attempt to go to him myself. I only know he's pissed, but I don't know exactly why, and I doubt he'd ever listen to me."

Cyborg caught on to her words. "Not 'exactly'? Do you have an idea?"

Raven hesitated for a moment. "I have an inkling."

Cyborg huffed. "Well, let's hear it. And why are you withholding info, girl? You know this is important. Or it's just that you want to keep up this ice queen psychiatrist bit?"

"About just as much as you have to keep up the macho, I'm-so-tough charade. Mr. Teletubbies." She smirked, a very sadistic one.

Cyborg sweated bullets. "I turned on the T.V. via the simple 'on' button! And then I couldn't find the control, it was stuck on that channel!"

She crossed her arms and just stared, an eyebrow quirked. "The purple one's the best, right?"

"What!? No way, Po is the b-"He stopped. "Oh, you sadistic little wench."

Raven waved her hand, signaling a halt. "As much as I want to torment you, this isn't the time."

She placed her hand down, and brooded for a few moments. "When I dove into Robin's mind.......I saw some of his memories, his past."

"His past....." Cyborg muttered. "You know, we don't have any idea about that either."

".......it was painful, Cyborg."

"Rae.....?"

"I only took small glimpses of Robin's memories, as I only had little time."

She closed her eyes, and heaved a breath. "My empathic abilities picked up bits and pieces of his subconscious, and it was dark, and suffocating."

Cyborg finally sat down.

Raven touched her forehead. "There are some traumatic experiences in Robin's past that we're not supposed to understand easily."

Cyborg grimaced. "But wouldn't it be better if we help him deal with it?"

"It's not that easy, Cyborg. His past is the reason he wears a mask, the reason even we don't know his true identity."

The android nodded. "He could be anyone in the world."

"But he's also Robin, our Robin. The omnipotent leadership figure."

"I suppose we should find solace in that."

"I know I do."

"........well, what can we do to help?"

Raven peered at the halls. "This is out of our hands at the moment. The best thing we can do right now, is to keep our distance for awhile, and let him come back to us."

Cyborg's seemed like he wanted to protest more, but relented.

A sigh escapes. "You're probably right, Raven, as usual...... you think he'll come back around soon?" Raven nodded.

"I have confidence in the omnipotent leadership figure."

"Heh, you make things sound easier, Rae."

"Don't go sentimental on me, Mr. Teletubbies."

Cyborg groaned. "Go get some sleep, bags for eyes."

-----------------------

-----------------------

The day was getting dark, and the clouds appeared murky and wet. Wind blew harshly over the top of the tower, most likely due to the high elevation. The usual lively city was now bland and void of spirit. The people were gone and disappeared, having escaped into the sanctuary of their homes.

The sparkle of life within the Teen Titans, Starfire, brooded on the rooftop, watching over the depressing day.

She sat in the same area every time she came to the roof, most of the time watching a sunrise with whichever friend that was awake at the time.

The girl shivered slightly, both from the frigid temperature and from the musings of her best friend.

Robin's frightful and dangerous attitude during his delusional state had frightened and hurt Starfire like never before. He had yelled at her, scolded her. He was angry with her, and Robin had NEVER been angry at her, ever.

She sighed, and took her armlets off, not caring if she got colder.

The weather clearly reflected her mood: depressed, sad, afraid.

Starfire frowned even more at the last word. She couldn't believe she was indeed afraid, scared at her own best friend, scared enough that she couldn't will herself to console Robin on his unhealthy nocturnal behaviors.

The two of them had always been able to aid each other in their time of distress. Robin comforted her when Blackfire disrupted her life, and she offered support when Slade infiltrated his life. Robin always managed somehow to catch her, and saved him from falling.

But right now, she didn't know what to do, this wasn't a physical battle.

Raven and Cyborg had evidently decided to allow matters to run its course by waiting, but Starfire could never leave matters with Robin alone easily, their friendship was that strong.

Starfire prided herself in being Robin's best friend, and yet now fear has begun to sap away that bond.

The girl didn't know what was going to happen, but her intuition predicts trouble, and not the kind of trouble involving villains, it was to become a tremor of the world and life of the Titans.

Far off in the distance, thunders and lightings boomed amongst the stormy clouds.

Inside the tower, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy watched the horrid whether as the dreadful feeling of doom crept towards them. Slade was most likely still alive, and plotting, but that was the least of their worries now.

Amongst the devastated punching bags and spilled beans, the Boy Wonder panted and grunted. He was forcing himself to continue stressing his body and mind, as if to inflict himself with a spell that will drive the haunting voices and disturbing images away.

Robin glared at his own image in the mirror, and with a hellish cry, broke it into thousands of pieces with a raged punch.

Back out on the roof, Starfire floated higher into the air, observing the formations of clouds and occurrences of thunder storms. A storm was apparently on its way, both on the city and on Titans Tower.

Starfire held her hands to her chest, in a form of prayer.

"_X'hal, yu'ril_, I pray to you. Do not let the storm of devastation descend upon us."

Minutes later, the thunder and rain poured like a hailstorm.

**Special Thanks: **I really want to thank Rose Eclipse, as she helped encourage me a lot of the times. And I know she writes good stories that many enjoy, so ......... yeah, I'm not good at the sentimental stuff myself, must put it into writing.


	2. Frailty pt 1

**A. Note:** I wonder how soy milk really tastes, we meat eaters all think it might be bad simply because, it has nothing to do with cows. Hmmm...... By the way, Dutch cheese is great. Just making a quick continuation.

Standard disclaimer of ownership and properties apply readily.

**---TT**

Chapter 1

--

Beast Boy stood right outside of the automated door that led into the training room. Though he was shielded by the rather stern and sound proofed barricade of a door, he could still feel and hear the firm vibrations coming from the other side of the door.

The green teen seriously did not understand why he was even attempting to go talk to the unstable Boy Wonder. He wasn't exactly known for his special talents in psychology, he learned that word when he was thirteen, and couldn't spell it until he was fourteen. He readily believed that he would create even more of a havoc.

But this time, not even Cyborg or Starfire seemed willing to confront Robin, for whatever reasons they had. Beast Boy had enough of seeing his friends suffer indefinitely. This was his home, and he was determined to keep it intact.

So he came up with a brilliant plan, which was to convince the Boy Wonder to have a wonderful time of sunshine, video games, movies, and maybe a game of those elemental cards.

Of course, Raven warned him of the possible consequences, but Beast Boy didn't want to just allow their leader to wallow in whatever teen anguish he was basking in.

Besides, what's the worst that could happen? But just to be sure, he didn't use the emergency telecom to call Robin. He did have all the supply of metal weights in the tower at his disposal.

Swoooooosh!!! The door opened.

"Hey, Robin my man, how's it-"A punching bag almost flew by, merely an inch of distance that made the difference of smashing into him.

"Waahhh!!!" He managed to squeak out as he processed what happened.

"Waahhh!!!!" Beast Boy exclaimed as he saw the broken remains of at least twenty punching bags, all ripped and trampled, with their contents spilled across every mattress of the room.

"It's like the aftermath of a punching bag gangster brawl..."

He turned, slightly fearful, and saw the murderer of all punching bags.

Robin, shirtless, was extremely sweaty and panting like a dog in a hot summer. Beast Boy watched as Robin, still oblivious to his presence, leaped straight up, gaining magnificent height between him and the ground, and kicked a punching bag with a powerful smite of the foot.

**SLAM!!!** The chain holding the punching bag broke and the bag flew into a wall. The bag had shredded from the impact, and the beans spilled out unceremoniously.

Robin touched the ground after killing that last punching bag. Sweat was pouring from all of his pores and he was panting like crazy. He bent over and rested his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath.

"Hah....! Hah....! Hah....! Raaa...!" He stood up straight and stared at the ceiling.

"Not ...hah...good enough...." He clenched his fist.

"Dude!" Beast Boy ran to his side, careful not to slip on the sea of beans.

"You okay, dude? You're sweating like...in gallons!!! And what's with the genocide of leather made materials!? I am so NOT carrying anymore of these things up to the tower!"

Beast Boy expected Robin to be reprimanding, annoyed, something! But he just basically ignored his comments.

Breathing much more composed, Robin stared at the changeling for a few heart beats before he spoke. "What do .....hah..... you ...hah.. want .....hah....Beast Boy.... hah..?"

Beast Boy sweated nervously, but answered. "Uuuuuuuh, It's movie night! Rob! And you're not in your seat. Shame on you." He waved one finger in mock disappointment.

"Now, we haven't decided on which movie to watch, 'cause Raven doesn't want to watch 'Karate Foosball', but I think we ca-"

"You guys start without me." Robin deadpanned.

"-n figure.......wha!? Dude, Robin! We always watch movies on movies nights! C'mon! You know you **want to**..." the green teen dragged out the last part with an attempt at taunting combined with his eyebrow waggling.

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"You-"

"I said I don't want to."

"Come on!!! Robin, what's wrong? You always like movie nights, and you definitely need some R&R." Sniff Sniff. "Not to mention some deodorant."

Robin grunted and went to get his staff, which was lying across the floor, covered by the spilled beans. "I'm fine. Just need to work out a little."

Beast Boy's jaw dropped.

"Work out a little!? Dude, you just made three gallons of sweat, destroyed the fundamentals of human limitations, and made orphans out of those last punching bags! I don't know what you call it, but I don't think even Rocky can pull this off. What are you going to do next? Climb the tower up and down for an hour!?"

Robin growled under his breath. "What are you getting at?"

"What I'm getting at, is that we're gonna watch a movie, and you're gonna get your butt into your seat! Com-com-com...huh...ahhh Italian sucks!"

"I already said I don't want to watch a movie."

Robin resumed twirling his staff

"Dude, we're all worried about you."

Beast Boy allowed several seconds to pass for his words to sink in. Apparently it didn't.

"This isn't like you, Robin. You're acting like the Scrooge, man!"

Robin shifted his staff and began practicing forms and angle blows.

"Cyborg's all saying you're going nuts and Raven's ....well she doesn't really say anything but I bet she's worried too. Starfire isn't even like herself, she's been hiding in her room, she didn't even try to make her pudding of whatever."

Robin seemed to hesitate for a moment, before swinging his staff in more furious swipes.

"............." Beast Boy felt like there were itches all over his body.

"Ragghh!!!!" He leapt and did a combo attack with his staff and kicks. He suddenly began moving much faster, rolling and dashing, striking and pounding, flipping and countering.

Beast Boy couldn't see, but Robin was beginning to fight Slade again, or what could be said as the black spot of his existence.

"Robin, stop with this cold shoulder thing. Is this because of the reagent what-cha-ma-call-it?" He smirked. "Hey, don't feel bad, remember how I was hypnotized by Mad Mod's whacky twirly thing? Now that was humiliating."

He pantomimed a drooling fool look and made his eyes spin.

"Compared to that, you're practically James Bond, where the bad guy's gotta dish out the biggest, baddest trap just to get to you!"

(Insert: baddest is NOT a word, but I don't think Beast Boy knows that)

Robin grunted, pulled his staff in and held it in a two-handed sword position.

"Beast Boy....."

Upon hearing his name, the changeling grinned, some hope gleaming in his dark green eyes.

"What? You wanna help choose the movie?"

"Get out." Beast Boy grimaced.

He swung in zig-zag techniques.

"Look, I don't kn-"

"Get out."

He did an area sweep attack.

"-ow, what your problem is, but you have to talk to us sooner or later. And-"

"Get out."

He stopped his practice.

"-like Mr. T always says, 'I pity the foo', though, I don't know how it-"

"**Get out**." Robin's tone caused the green teen to stop immediately.

The fearless leader suddenly looked so different to the changeling. His face portrayed such a foreign existence that Beast Boy had to reassure himself over and over again that the boy in front of him wasn't someone else.

"Dude...."

Robin suddenly walked towards the frantic boy and stared down at him, with his greater height and current aura, the Boy Wonder appeared menacing and imposing. Beast Boy instinctively took a step back.

"Beast Boy, get out before I kick you out. I'm not in the mood for crap."

"Can't you just tell me what's wrong?! I'm no Raven or Starfire, but I can help! It's not cool, watching one of us cool guys beat himself up for Mr. T knows why!"

Robin sneered, but offered a reply.

"Beast Boy, when was the last time you were helpless and cornered like a dog?"

Beast Boy didn't know whether or not if the question was dangerous to answer, but he wasn't exactly meticulous at the moment.

"Well... remember that one time I was captured by that overgrown piece of rock, what's he called...? Soto?" He scratched his head. "Anyways, yeah, I felt pretty much caged like an animal, no pun intended. Hehehehe." He allowed himself to snicker, hoping to at least ease the tension.

"Did you feel like you were going to die?"

"Huh? Robin, is-"

"Did you get your ass kicked?"

"Just let me-"

"Did you beg for your life?"

"Robin!! Stop for a-"

"No you didn't. And that's why you can't understand."

Robin gave the changeling one last hard glance, before turning around and walked towards the other end of the room, stomping and treading on the scattered contents of the punching bags.

"Good day." And that was that.

-------------------

"I'm guessing by your expression that the interview with Donald Trump didn't go well." Cyborg commented upon Beast Boy's arrival.

Cyborg was rigorously using his fingers on the gamestation, in a game of "Cyber warrior". He didn't do well, because his mind wasn't on the game. He just needed something to occupy himself, while waiting for Beast Boy to report the damage.

Raven sat by the countertop, holding and staring into a cup of herbal tea. In her hand, she held a book, one that she promised to force herself to read, but in the end, found the spine of the book more interesting.

The android and the psychic both had anticipated the outcome of the changeling's confrontation with the dark bird. But seeing the expression on the changeling's face was still disheartening.

"Dude, what is his **problem**!? He gave me the pushing away routine, then the cold shoulder, then he basically gave me verbal abuse!"

Raven shook her head, and placed her herbal tea on the countertop.

"In all fairness, Beast Boy, we did gave you sufficient warning."

"Yeah, but you didn't say I'd be torn to pieces."

"I **was** hoping......"

"Well, **I**," Cyborg pointed his thumb at himself, and tossed the controller to the floor, "told you that it wasn't gonna be pretty. Hell, I think I told you that it was gonna be hell." Beast Boy fumed.

"Well I don't see you coming up with anything, you Terminator reject!!!"

Cyborg glared at the smaller teen.

"Beast Boy.....!!!" Raven said sternly, and alert.

"You better watch your mouth, you discolored smurf. I ain't that groovy enough to take crap from a green monkey right now."

Beast Boy had actually began to ready himself in a defensive stance, with the upper portion of his body arched slightly forward, so when he morphed into an animal, he would have an initial advantage.

"I know every animal in the world that has sharp teeth."

The android lifted his fist in an offensive stance. "You're not going to like what I can do."

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!!!" Raven's black energy created a barrier between the two feuding teens.

"Stop this right now." Her tone was monotone but carried the sense of absolute command, and her eyes glowed as her powers became active.

"You're acting like immature imbeciles." She lowered her powers upon seeing that she gauged their attention.

"Calm down. Do you even realize what you're about to do?"

The two boys looked at each and immediately dropped their hands to their sides.

"......sorry dude." Beast Boy apologized.

"Yeah, sorry, man." Cyborg looked at the now eased Raven.

"Guess you were right, Robin's mood **is** affecting us."

"I can't believe we almost got into a fight. What's happening?" Beast Boy simpered.

Raven floated to her herbal tea. "We can't let Robin's obviously bad mood drag us into the pit, otherwise we'll never be able to save him." She didn't drink from it.

Thunder suddenly boomed outside the tower, and Beast Boy flinched.

Cyborg watched the rain impact the windows of the tower unrelentingly, and frowned.

"What do you mean by mood?" Beast Boy asked. "It's not like Robin's a girl going into PMS or anything."

"Well, technically..."

"I don't want to talk about tec-no-ca-lo-tee, whatever! I want to know what's wrong!"

Raven eyes thinned and she placed her hood over her head.

"I already had this conversation with Cyborg, and I don't want to repeat it."

Beast Boy glanced at the cyber teen for any reference, but was ignored as Cyborg continued watching the rain with a troubled frown.

Raven took notice as well, and scrutinized the horrid whether with a similar glint in her eyes.

Beast Boy sure as hell didn't know how to merge into the atmosphere. He tried to look out the windows, but did not know what to look for, if anything.

"Okay, what are you guys looking at?" He tried, and flinched when a sudden thunder boomed near the tower.

The sound of the hard rain echoed throughout the tower as Beast Boy received no answer and so he decided not to talk.

Finally, "I hate this storm."

Raven nodded. "So do I."

Beast Boy quirked an eyebrow. "Ummm, me too?"

Cyborg sat down on the couch, pressing a hand to his human face. He suddenly looked tired, very, very tired. The big teen appeared ready to just fall asleep in his sitting position.

Beast Boy sat next to him. "Hey, Cy, you okay? You need some energizer batteries?" Cyborg didn't open his human eye, and just allowed his robotic scanner look at the small elf.

Beast Boy suddenly felt the fatigue tread upon himself as well, and allowed his body to slump further into the couch.

Raven actually managed what looked like a smirk, though it was somewhat sad.

"You boys finally calmed down." The two looked at her, though Cyborg still just used his robotic eye.

"I feel sleepy." Beast Boy complained, sounding slightly like a small child, and yawned.

"That's because you relaxed enough for your adrenaline to diminish. We've all been uptight these few days, and now we're feeling the repercussions."

Cyborg opened half of his eye, as if in a daze.

"Yeah.... these few days sucked."

Raven stared. "I didn't say that."

"Like you needed to say it out loud."

Beast Boy scratched his ear. "What are we gonna do....?" His voice was soft and lacking his usual life, but at the moment, it was appreciated.

The three once again sat in silence, well, Raven levitated in meditation position with her hood still down. No one seemed to have any idea.

Rain poured hard against the windows.

Once again, "I **really **hate this storm." Cyborg muttered harshly, exhausted.

Raven nodded, again. "As do I."

Beast Boy stared at the pouring harder, though he was drowsy, then he looked back towards the gym.

Even if he wasn't there, he could still feel the vibrations and the knowledge that Robin was fighting nothing and everything. It was agitating, antagonizing.

He looked back to the pouring rain, and a lightning struck. He didn't flinch.

"Yeah, me too."

-----------------

Starifire stood just outside the gym door, exactly where Beast Boy was before entering into the gymnasium, currently a battlefield. She reached for the controls for the door, but halted as like she did when she tried to follow Robin to the roof.

She had come here with resolve, with determination. She had come to the front of this door because she felt she could, no, must confront her best friend. The Tamaranian felt like she needed to save him, to take him away from the doom.

They counted on each other, they told each other everything. In battle, the two best friends looked out for each, they would risk life and limb for the safety of the other. Starfire had saved him before, she believed she could do it again.

_But from what? _She asked herself. There is no Blackfire to hinder the relationships between Starfire and her friends. There is no H.I.V.E. to attack the city and its innocents There is no Slade to haunt the Teen Titans insufferably. No villain, no criminals. It was just Robin against Robin, and he was losing, losing to himself and losing his presence amongst them.

Starfire also knew she lost to herself when she couldn't bring her hand to press the door activation button. The fear and hesitation were still there, no matter how much she tried to be strong.

Robin wasn't a villain who she could fight against valiantly, defy and rebuke, or a pest she could simply ignore. Definitely not reprimand, she had done it once before and the guilt she felt from that one occasion could almost last her the remainder of her Tamaranian life.

She rubbed the area where Robin had grabbed her harshly, and felt her heart pained upon the remembrance of the horrid facial expression Robin showed to her. He had never looked at her that way. The way his masked eyes thinned and the form his mouth took, she would have rather fought a Gordanian army.

Starfire placed her hand tenderly on the surface of the door, as if she was trying to feel the presence of the teen within.

When she told Robin that he was similar to Slade, she did it out of friendship and honesty, but Robin proved her wrong by gallantly redeeming himself through further heroic acts. When he became Slade's apprentice, he decided to die with his friends in the end, something she cherished in her heart.

Robin was Robin, like how he told Starfire was Starfire, no matter the situation.

But now......

"Robin is not Robin........"

-------------------

THUMP!!!! Robin had finally collapsed to the ground, sprawled on the ground in complete and utter exhaustion and lack of strength.

His panting and sweating had created a steady growing puddle of excretes from his pores, and they began to mix with the spilled beans, steadily forming a cesspool of the Boy Wonder's anguish.

He tried lifting a finger, but found that he had no control. No control.

His eyes intensified, his brows arched, his teeth bared, his muscles tensed.

"Rrrrrggggghhhhhaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!"

Robin felt like he was struggling against an invisible restraint, some sort of unbreakable force holding him down. Every inch of his muscles were sore beyond recognition, but he couldn't stand it, he wasn't in control.

Slade was always in control. Red X was always in control. Why wasn't Robin in control?

"Grrrrrraaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!"

His entire body was twitching from his effort to stand, strands of his hair plastered against his face as he tortured his own body to move.

Suddenly, his mind decided to shut down. The overuse of energy and motor abilities finally accumulated enough to destroy his body. His eyes began to close and his limbs fell to the ground, numbed.

Surprisingly, his breathing had also slowed, and actually went into a steady pace. Robin barely registered a frantic looking Starfire dashing to his side, utter desperation filling her face as she spoke to him, though he could not hear.

She probably called to the other Titans, as he saw her shouting to the outside the gym. But he couldn't really tell.

He felt the familiar blackness cradling him as his eyes closed.

---

* * *

**Some closing notes:** I wonder how long until I feel like ending this thing again? 


	3. Frailty pt 2

**A. Note**: Thanks for the support! It is deeply appreciated. Don't feel bad, Tigeress419, your observations and corrections are needed and noted. Also, Beast Boy said "Italian sucks", because he was trying to say "comprende?", as in Spanish. But he thought it was Italian, as in "capiche?". This is a play on when he said "su casa es mi casa", typical gringo mistake. Also, people who want more Starfire scenes, don't worry. Starfire will be the main heroine later in this first saga, as she's the only one who can save Robin, who will fall under the taint of darkness.

**General information**: Robin will be feeling some very dark taints in his soul, and will go slightly psycho. Hopefully people won't find it discouraging as a story, because it's leading up to a grand portion of an adventure that I think will be great. More will be revealed in later chapters.

Standard disclaimer of ownership and properties apply readily.

---**TT**

Chapter 2

--

I ran in the darkness, chasing something, but chasing what, I don't know. Was I chasing anything at all? No, I feel it now. I'm running away. Away from the darkness, the white, black, gray, guilt, fear, hatred, all of it. I didn't want to stay here, wherever here was.

"_You are where you belong, Robin_."

I skidded to a halt, and immediately went into a defensive stance. I reached for my staff, only to find it absent.

"_You won't need that insignificant weapon, Robin. Your strongest weapon is your viciousness_."

I sneered at the voice, but my senses were blaring with warnings. I willed myself to remain composed, and surprisingly, did it with ease.

"_That's right. Stop running away, you've been doing that for far too long_."

I finally found my voice. "I recognize that voice, Slade! Show yourself! What have you done this time!?"

"_Silly child, I have done nothing. It is you who has created all of this_."

Slade's form suddenly stepped out from the darkness, as if the pitch black was a curtain. I growled, but didn't find the incentive to attack.

"You bastard......!" My voice dripped with venom. "Why won't you disappear!? Why won't you die!? Why.....!" I grimaced.

"Why won't you stop!!!???"

Slade grinned, at least I assume he did, his mask was inorganic after all.

"I will not stop, because you cannot stop." He stepped forward and I stepped backwards.

"I will not disappear, because you refuse to accept the truth." Another step forward, another step backwards.

"I will not die, because I am the black spot you so sourly despise, the taint on your white record." I felt my mouth go dry as Slade spoke.

"Death is a normal cycle of life. It is the way of things. You have accepted this naturally, when you took the persona of Robin." Slade began walking around me in circles.

I gasped. "What do you mean? Do you know-"

"The death of your parents was a tragedy, a wounding strike to your soul, a bane that you still cringe from. But death has become a part of you, when you believed you accepted the world, understand it."

Slade clenched his fist in front of me, and I watched it shake with passion. "Death is innate to you, my dear boy, it is a part of your nature. Though it only visible and tangible when you become emotional, then again, humans' true nature is always shown through an emotional state."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, from Slade, again.

"Shut up!!! You don't know anything about me!!! You're a psychopath, bent on destruction!! I'm nothing like you!"

"Stop running away, Robin. It's unbecoming."

"I don't run away, I confronted you! At every corner! At every chance! At every waking moment of my life! I-I....I......!"

Slade chuckled, and I felt the rage swell up in my chest again. I saw my own fist clinch and vibrate from my pure anger, dangling with an unwonted passion.

"Robin." Slade's insufferable calm voice shattered my intense emotion like a mallet, and I cringed.

"It doesn't matter whether or not you are similar to me, because that is not the concern."

Now, I was really confused. Wasn't the entire point of his constant tormenting appearance to convince the world and me that evil prevails?

"What are you talking about now? Is this another one of your cryptic clues?" I was surprised at how level my voice sounded now, as if everything I felt before was only an illusion.

Slade chuckled. "Huhuhuhuhu. Robin, I must have told you before, none of this is about anyone else, it's been about you. It's **always **been about you."

Before I could react or speak, Slade placed his fingers firmly on his mask and with a swift stroke, flung it into the darkness.

I could feel the overwhelming sensation of horror and shock as I saw the face of Slade, my face.

Slade, with my face, but still with Slade's voice, spoke with finesse.

"Like I said, this has always been about you."

"You-you, this isn't real, this **can't be real!!!!**"

I held my hands to my face, gripping my cranium, just wishing to expel all of these nightmares out. Nightmare......... that's it!!! This is all a dream, none of this is real! It's an illusion, something someone concocted to confuse me, to disillusion me.

"This isn't real!" I pointed at Slade who wore my face. "It's exactly like that reagent you drugged me with in your mask! This darkness isn't real, and neither are you!"

I felt as if the advantage of the mind was in my control once again, as if-

"Of course none of this is real." Slade spoke, with an amused tone.

"Wh-what!?" What in the hells is he pulling?

'Robin' smiled, and bore several sharp teeth. "Did you think Slade would truly be here? A domain you created yourself?"

"My.....domain?" I was confused, alert, and curious.

"Hehehehehe. Yes, your domain. This isn't a warp hole of complete nonsense, this is a part of you. All this blackness is a part of **you**." Slade, or me, stepped forward again, and I recoiled backwards.

"This entirety is merely a reflection of yourself, your soul, bared to the last bit." He swept his arm to his chest.

"No, I should say, **our soul**." My eyes widened.

"I am not Slade." He frowned at his own voice, then chuckled. Slade coughed a few times, and I briefly wondered if that' how Slade really sounded when he coughed.

"Hehehehehe." I recoiled more as his voice was mine now, down to the last frequency. As he chuckled, I watched in horror as his body began to sizzle with smoke. His body was shrinking! Decreasing in size until it matched mine like the reflection of a mirror.

"As I said, I am not Slade. I am you. The deepest desire of you, what you want to be..."

"That's a lie." I couldn't fathom how two of the same person could be arguing. "You're not me, you're dark and evil. You're wearing that suit."

'Robin' traced his fingers over the metal plates and grinned. "Indeed, and it feels rather enticing."

"I would never think that!!! I didn't think that back then and I don't think that now! You're. **NOT. ME.**!!!!"

'Robin' just continued to grin. "Lying to yourself is pointless. I know everything about you, simply because we're the same person." He stepped to the side, and peered into the darkness.

By now I was desperate for some kind of weapon I could use. Though my utility belt was there, nothing was in it, void of any content of my usual gadgets. My staff was never there to begin with, and I was shocked to discover that my boots lost their metal edges.

"Feeling weak again?" I growled at my own voice, my own face, and got into an offensive stance.

"I. AM. NOT. WEAK."

I watched as 'Robin' lost his grin and stared emotionlessly into the darkness.

"You're lying and running away again."

I sneered.

"I know you feel weak, because I feel weak."

I lost my stance.

'Robin' rubbed his eyes. "I am the same as you, I feel what you feel. And what I feel is that abominable feeling of being a weakling, of being Robin. And I tire of it."

I could feel my muscles tense up again.

"Do you know why we feel weak?" 'Robin' turned back to look at me, and I flinched despite my hard resolve to not to.

"It's because we feel the need to be the white record, the white spot in the names of heroes. We have limitations, to what we can perform, as the good guys. But we're much stronger when we allow the freedom of our talents to flow, we're much more imposing."

The imposter's grin returned when he said the word 'imposing'. "Don't you remember Red X? The most commanding persona we've created! He was, what Starfire would say, glorious!!!"

I decided to speak again, whether or not it was only to a phantom of myself, but was immediately interrupted.

"Don't-"

"No, WE were glorious!!! We could even take out the Titans as easily as shit!!!" It felt disturbing to hear myself cuss.

"You were-"I briefly wondered why he changed back to saying 'you', "-unstoppable, Robin! When you allow yourself to accept the greatest part of yourself, the entire personas of your soul, you can become an entity worth recognition in any realm! Not even Slade can defeat us!!!"

His face became maniacal, and I felt fear creep into my chest once again.

"Become what you want to be, become what you **can **be.........you enjoyed the thrill, you were pleased with being dark...............!"

"No......**NO**!!!" I screamed fiercely. I pointed a finger at 'Robin'.

"You are the black stain of evil that cannot exist in this world, because I'm the one who stops criminals like you, Slade, and even Red X! I can't allow things like you to exist!!!"

'Robin' grinned, yet again.

"Then who stops you?"

"What the hell are you talking about? I'm a crime fighter, I stop evil!"

"And when you lose control, who's gonna stop you? Your friends?" I gasped.

"You call me the black stain of evil, when I'm part of you. Isn't that ironic? So, I ask you: who stops you?"

I honestly didn't know how to answer, or what to say, all my edges in mental advantages were absent.

"Hahahahahahahahaha.... You yourself said once, 'It's supposed to be simple, but it's not.' Nothing is just black and white, pure and simple, true or false. It's a beautiful blend of all those complicated colors, squished-"'Robin' held his two hands up to his face and pantomimed a crushing motion. "-into the most magnificent, ideal color of grey."

I serious began to feel like vomiting then and there.

"You are not pure of white.... Robin.....you are the grey that holds no bound to responsibility.....you're a mix......"

"No......"

"_It's not difficult....accept the freedom_.........."

"I won't....."

"_There is no distinction between good and bad, they're all the same_...."

"**Shut up**....."

"_Stop running away_......"

"Raaaaaaaarggghhhhhhh!!!!"

Nothing existed anymore.

------------------

------------------

"Gah!!!" Robin shot up, once again covered in sweat.

He frantically looked around, and relaxed slightly when he saw that he wasn't in that horrible space, surrounded by the darkness.

"Déjà vu..." He breathed out as he slumped back into whatever he was lying on, one arm lying across his face.

The Boy Wonder felt around his eyes, and was relieved that the eye mask was still present.

He then peered at his surroundings a little more, trying to find out where he was exactly.

Some comfort came as he noted he wasn't in the sick bay, where he was restrained and left alone with the haunting images of Slade and the darkness.

The room was actually one of the newly created rooms that were supposed to be used as a spare room for items and equipment. Apparently, the other Titans decided to turn it into a better infirmary. There was white. A lot of white.

Robin felt the presence of another, and shifted his sight to find the source. His eyes fell on the slumbering form of the Tamaranian girl, sitting on a chair right next to his bed. Her hand was folded on her lap, and her head tilted downwards slightly.

His eyes softened, and guilt immediately filled his senses and his heart. He observed her peaceful face, tranquil and serene, and it made him feel at ease. She must have been there for a while, to fall asleep.

He saw that there was a blanket placed over her shoulders, and surmised that one of the other Titans had been courteous and caring enough.

Robin reached out a hand, reluctant and tentative, as if he couldn't will himself to touch the girl. But slowly and surely, his now ungloved hand made way to touch the girl's hand, as if the boy needed to reassure himself that she was real.

Suddenly, he heard the door of the room beep, and retracted his hand.

Expecting to see either Cyborg or Raven, as Beast Boy was probably still mad at him, Robin got ready to either be yelled at or scorned.

Instead, he saw a stranger walk in. A very creepy looking stranger.

"Who-ack!!!" he coughed suddenly from the lack of usage of his voice since he passed out.

The stranger held a hand up. "Do not be alarmed, I am here to assist you."

Robin held his hands to his throat, and glanced at the stranger, still wary and alert.

The man, if that was what it could be called, wore a black and dark blue robe that covered his entire body under the neck. His face appeared organic and mechanical at the same time, and Robin immediately surmised that he was part machine like Cyborg.

The Boy Wonder watched intently and carefully as the stranger walked closer, and stopped at a machine, most likely an analytical contraption.

"I am Fixit, a friend of Cyborg's."

Robin registered the name instantly. "I remember.... Cyborg told us about you, right after we got out of the junkyard...."

"Yes......that is where I and Cyborg initially met." Robin stared at the organic machine, trying to recall bits and pieces of information on Fixit, since it was always second nature for him to do so.

Fixit inserted one finger into the machine, and his fingers began to slightly glow, as well as other parts of him.

Robin then noticed that he was wired to the machine on the arm, chest, and neck.

Fixit extracted his finger, but said nothing, just resumed calculating until Robin spoke up.

"What happened?" Fixit's helm stopped glowing.

"I would think it would be obvious for observation."

Robin snickered, sardonically. "Yeah, well, I've been sullied in the field of observations lately."

If Fixit picked up on the dark tone to his voice, he didn't show it, and if he did, he didn't care.

"Your cardiac had exceeded the norm in which normal humans would have spontaneously combusted. 87 of your muscle tissues were severed. The joints in your leg and arms were damaged, though they have healed in your recovery time. The constant strain you had exerted on yourself has dehydrated much of your organic components. Additionally, your right hand has been severely stressed, and is obsolete for usage the next 24 hours. Also, there was a slight chance of contracting internal organ ischemia."

"Hehehehe......"

Fixit stared at Robin as the boy began to chuckle.

"The report has proven humorous?"

"Ehehehehehe....obsolete..."

Fixit said nothing.

Robin's became passive again. "Sorry, just crazy human talk."

Fixit went to the side of the wall and retrieved some water with a cup from a water dispenser. Apparently, the room was adequately prepared and furnished, as there were also a few couches lined up in the wall, and a plant.

"I was once completely human." He didn't offer an explanation for the sentence, and gave the Boy Wonder the cup.

Robin drank it gratefully. "Thanks." He said after the water was drained from the cup.

He then turned to gaze at the girl beside his bed, and wondered how long he had been incapacitated.

"You have been in an unconscious state for approximately 20 hours and 13 minutes since Cyborg has contacted me for aid."

Robin thought he should be surprised, but the news seemed to be logical.

"Sure felt like that long......" He commented under his breath, keeping his gaze on the Tamaranian.

Fixit shifted his view between Robin and the quantum efficiency analyzer.

"The Tamaranian female has been at your side for approximately 19 hours and 56 minutes.

Robin frowned. "Did you install a new mind reader device that we don't know about?"

If Fixit could grin, there would have been a warm smile there.

"Human behaviors are at times surprisingly obvious."

"Whatever..."

Robin was struck with a sudden notion, a pique of curiosity.

"Wait a minute, aren't you a professional on machinery? How is that you're here, playing medical doctor!?"

Fixit processed his answer and Robin waited for one.

"I was once completely human." Fixit repeated. "I have recovered several lost data files, in other words, my memories, over the past few months when Cyborg had assisted in my recovery process."

Robin hunched a little, listening.

"The data files have showed that I was a physician, when I remembered what it was to be human, when I was still human."

Robin noted how Fixit's words seemed redundant. He decided that it was because it was a sign of his human side.

"I see......" Robin made motions to move and get off the bed, and tore off the wires.

"I would strongly advise against any strenuous activity for the next 10 hours. You must rest for your body to fully recover."

Robin made no effort to stop. "I'm fine."

Fixit's helm glowed. "I would advise against **any **activity in the next few hours."

The Boy Wonder found himself held back into the bed by a restraint on his feet, which he didn't notice since it was covered by the sheets.

"Huh? Nnnnnnnnnn..! What?" He looked to Fixit, whose helm ceased glowing.

"I simply must insist. I have been slightly informed of your situation and circumstances that have led to your rigorous attempt of self destruction."

Robin flinched.

"I do not desire to see Cyborg's expression if you were to escape and continue your dangerous actions."

"I will inform your friends that you have awakened."

And the organic android was gone.

Swoooooosh!

The Boy Wonder stared at the door that just closed.

His mind drifted back to the dream, and he shivered. He shook his head, trying to clear out the haunting images, trying to convince himself that he didn't understand any of it, so he wouldn't dwell on it.

Robin once again looked to Starfire, who was mumbling something in her. Though he could not hear it clearly, it felt comforting, just to know that the Tamaranian girl was still there.

Robin raised a hand, once again trying to will himself to go back, to go back to his friends. The boy arduously tried to reach for the girl's hand. To reach a sense of salvation.

"Starfire........."

Gingerly, he finally placed his hand over the girl's, and he watched in satisfaction when she smiled in her sleep. He rubbed the upper portion of her palm, and his eyes became pained.

He didn't keep his hands there long, he had some reassurances, and that was enough for him now.

------------------

Fixit exited the room and trailed down in the halls, where the main computer room was located. As he stepped in, he saw the man he was looking for as well.

"Hey, doc. How's Rob doing?" Cyborg greeted upon seeing the other android.

"Robin is awake, and his condition is stable."

Cyborg's eye widened. "That's great! Let me go tell the others, and we'll all go in there and check on the little guy! Is he impressed with what we did with the room!? 'Cause we had to haul ass to organize the whole place, and Beast Boy kept getting in the way-"

Fixit raised a hand. "I am afraid I must advise against such a thought."

Cyborg's excitement deflated a bit.

"Is this one of those doctor routines? We're not going to drag him out to play football or anything. We're just worried, man. Can't we at least go see him? Or is visitor's hours that short?"

Fixit moved next to the computer and Cyborg. "The young man is much more stressed than I have anticipated. His issues stem deep into his psyche, a complicated issue that I am hesitant and unqualified to confront."

Cyborg groaned. "We kind of know that already with the 'overworking himself to death' crap. Why can't we help? Raven said the same thing, and now you."

The teen android stood up and sighed.

"We just want our leader back. We want our friend back."

Fixit considered for a second. "Still, I would advise against going to see the young man at this moment."

Cyborg grimaced.

"I believe the Tamaranian female would like to be the first to speak to her, 'best friend', is it?"

Cyborg's mouth went wide, and he saw one of those rare moments when Fixit managed what resembled a smile.

"Hehehe. And here I thought you were Johnny the Stoic."

"I believe I was the one who did not think I could possess any capability of feeling. You were the one who helped me remember. I thank you."

Fixit bowed, and Cyborg bowed back.

"You saved my friend. You bow to no one here." Cueing a rather Lord of the Rings conversation, though Fixit didn't catch on.

Fixit rose straight and nodded.

"So.....you leaving now?" Cyborg asked.

Fixit glanced at the Titan's mainframe computer.

"I believe I would stay and upgrade the tower's security systems. Also, I would like to see your 'infant', as you called it."

Cyborg beamed. "Oh yeah!!! You gotta check out my baby, she's the damn prettiest girl you'll ever see! I've got the new titanium thruster packs, imported straight from Japan! Come on, I'll give you a tour of the tower while we're at it."

"I would like that." Fixit tried saying, and found much pleasure that he could. "I could also assist you in tuning and upgrading the T-car."

Cyborg gave a sour look. "Tuning, she needs every once in awhile. But upgrading? My baby's top notch! She's the best car in the whole freaking world!"

"Installing an electric suspension module will improve a vehicle's acceleration."

"What!? Those things scrap the engine, and it makes oil changing difficult!"

"Then it is advisable to......"

The two part-machine and part-human individuals made their way to the garage, arguing the whole way.

------------------

Beast Boy had taken a nice nap after he was convinced repeatedly by both Raven and Cyborg that Robin was going to be fine. He had actually fallen asleep before he could even enter his room, however, and woke to find his face pressed against his own door, with some drool still sliding down the door's frame.

He had decided that he was hungry, and so began cooking his delicious tofu......whatever. He couldn't tell whether to call it dinner or breakfast, then again, he didn't care.

A digital clock in his room blinked 6:45 p.m.

So when Raven entered the kitchen, she found the green teen trying to shove a tofu sandwich into a toaster.

"Ummmmm Beast Boy....what are you doing?" She asked cautiously.

"I'm **trying **nnnnnnnnnn to nnnnnnnnn... make ..nnnnnnnnnn.. my tofu meal!!"

"Wouldn't it be easier to just use the microwave?"

"The toast ...nnnnnnn... wouldn't be crispy ... nnnnnnnn...!"

Raven sighed, and went to brew another cup of tea, finding that the liquid always calms her.

"Nnnnnnnnn...... aha!!!" Beast Boy had somehow managed to shove the tofu substance into the toaster.

"Alright, now to press the up-and-down-thingy, and we'll be ready to go!"

Click.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos." Raven chanted as a shield appeared and blocked the pieces of flying tofu and the remains of the toaster.

Beast Boy, charred, huffed a puff of smoke.

"Haff! Couldn't you give me some coverage too?"

"I thought it would teach you a lesson." She paused. "Idiot." She added for effect.

Beast Boy looked around the kitchen. "This is not sweet." Black stains were all over the countertops, the floor, etc.

He looked over to the gothic girl. "Ummmm, a little help here?"

She glared at him.

"Right, My mess, me clean."

She used her telekinesis to move a broom out of a closet and threw it at him.

Beast Boy held the broom quizzically. "When did we have a broom?"

"Clean."

Beast Boy grudgingly began sweeping the floor, all the while muttering under his breath.

"We've got a mega-computer, automatic doors, obstacle courses, but no robot servant to do our bidding? This is lame."

What the boy didn't know was that Raven was actually very troubled and worried, though not as much as Starfire, but worried nonetheless. Robin's black out didn't surprise her, the eerie feeling he emitted did.

Robin wasn't normal, he was unique, special, and talented. He was beyond the norm of normal humans. But he was still human nonetheless, he still shared the same limitations of normal people. So why did she feel a chill when she touched his unconscious form?

She didn't want to think about it now, it reminded her too much of her own predicament. Deep within her subconscious, she felt Trigon, the evil essence of her father lingering. But as she thought, now was not the time.

Raven was about to go back into her room and perhaps read a book and drink her herbal tea, when she suddenly picked up on the presence of another person.

"He's awake." She said, not caring if anyone heard, but Beast Boy did.

"Who?"

She sighed. "Who else?"

Beast Boy threw the broom away. "Woohoo! Rob's awake! C'mon lets go check on him! He'll feel better once I bake up some tofu cakes!" He began running towards the infirmary when he was suddenly held back by Raven's powers.

"Oooooff!!!" He grunted as he landed on the floor. "Okay, I'm starting to feel like mattress scrapes."

Raven peered at the fallen teen. "It's not exactly a smart idea for you to go in there."

"Huuuuhhh, not this again. What? We just gonna leave him alone with his insanity?"

Raven sighed again. "Starfire's in there."

Beast Boy beamed. "That's right! Maybe we can't get to him, but Star definitely can! Heck, she's the only one of us who has!"

Raven looked solemn, and unsure.

"Uuuuuuhhhh, please tell me I'm right."

"No, you're right. Starfire is the only person with the capability to reach Robin. I'm just uncertain everything will come through this time."

"What cha' mean!? If Star can't get through that jerk, then we're through!!! The Titans will break up, then I'll have to work at the circus!!!"

He started shaking on the ground, actually seriously considering the ridiculous possibility.

"Don't be stupid, we're not going to split up."

"Eeeeeeeeeeeee......"

"Beast Boy, stop being idiotic."

"Okay."

She thinned her eyes. Beast Boy smiled nervously.

"Ehehehe, so...... everything's going to be okay?"

"........clean."

------------------

------------------

The storm was still raging on the city, the rain and the clouds dancing thunderously. But the tower's atmosphere had actually begun to lighten, the horrible dread had faded somewhat.

A loud thunder strike entered the auditory senses of the Tamaranian girl, and she stirred awake. Slowly, her emerald eyes opened, and immediately widened in delight to see Robin in a sitting position on the bed.

Starfire made a sound that was a gasp of delight.

Robin turned to look at her. "'Morning, I think."

"Robin! You are in good health!!" She shrugged off the blanket and hugged the Boy Wonder, very hard.

He always dreaded the murderous yet amiable hug. "Ehhhhhh, y-yeah. Go-od h-health....aahhhhh......Starfire....I think I won't be in a few seconds."

"Oh!" She released him. "Hehehe, I apologize."

Robin didn't smile, like he usually would, and this worried Starfire. She began to remember why she was afraid of him earlier.

"It's okay, Star."

"Do you..... require some refreshments?" She asked gently. He nodded and she quickly flew over to the water dispenser with a cup, filling it with water.

He took the cup and grunted his thanks.

As Robin drank, Starfire silently built up her courage to speak.

"Robin, what is wrong? Please tell me, you are never this troubled. You had......frightened me beyond the simple 'willies'. When I saw you lying unconscious on the ground......I did not know what to think nor what to do...."

Robin threw the cup into the corner of the room. Starfire watched the light plastic hit the ground.

"Robin......speak to me, please....I-I....."

"I'm tired, Starfire......" She thought he meant for her to go, and so tearfully began getting up.

"No. Stay, Star. I didn't mean for you to go."

Her eyes were filled with glee and forbidden hope. She moved her chair closer to Robin's bed.

".......I don't know what's happening, Starfire, but I'm so tired."

"You have eradicated much of the population of the bags of punching, it is only normal that you would feel strain. Human circulatory systems are very fragile and-"

"Fragile......" He breathed.

"Robin....?"

"Obsolete......"

"Robin, you are scaring me, pl-"

"Running away......"

"-ease. No more Robin reprimanding Robin. You are not running, you are sitting, wh-"

"Starfire." She cringed at how he said her name.

"Y-yes?"

Robin looked at her with an expression she had never seen him with before, it was a look of absolute defeat, but oddly mixed with the gleam of vengeance.

"We're the good guys, right?"

Starfire was now perplexed, and her fear was further enforced.

"We are on the side of righteousness, correct."

"We stop the bad guys, right?"

"I-I......evil doers and bad men must be stopped."

".....there's no room for the confused......" He mumbled.

"Robin.....please. Look at me."

He obeyed.

"Do not place the blame on Robin. You were not of yourself. You were only fighting demons we could not see. Slade is to blame, not you. You are not fragile, or obsolete. You are the Boy of Wonder." She placed a hand on Robin's shoulder.

"You are our leader. Please do not lose faith in yourself, for we have not lost faith in you."

Robin seemed to be absorbing the girl's words, but shown no reaction.

Starfire's fear was etching for her to remove her hand from the boy's shoulder, but she commanded herself to remain. Robin needed her and be damned if anything was to disturb that.

He placed an ungloved hand gingerly over hers.

"...............thanks."

Starfire smiled a genuine smile of peace, one Robin couldn't help but return, however small and tired his was.

"I welcome you......"

They remained in silence for a short while, until Robin removed his hand from hers and laid down on the bed.

".........you're a godsend, do you know that?"

"Teehee. I thank you."

".................." He smiled a bit, but only briefly.

"I will go and inform our friends of your glorious awakening."

"Fixit already went to tell them."

"Truly? Then why is it our friends have not come as of yet?" Starfire wondered, confused.

"It's all right, Star. I don't want to be disturbed anyways. Go get something to eat, I'm going to rest, doctor's orders."

Starfire nodded her affirmative. "I will return at a later time, rest well, Robin."

She stood briefly at the door, reluctant to leave the Boy Wonder alone, a huge contrast from when she couldn't expel the fear of the boy.

Swoooooosh!!!

She stood just outside the infirmary, and leaned her back against the door. Her heart was beating slowly, and she felt warm. Matters with the Boy Wonder are difficult, she knew, but now she could pinpoint some of the issues.

Whatever problem Robin had drawn up in his world, his ability to fight was a core issue. His responsibility as the leader of the Titans and as a crime fight in general was pressuring him. He felt he had failed his friends in the many occasions regarding Slade and Red X.

Starfire frowned sadly as she recalled the crestfallen expression of the boy when he said 'running away'. She didn't truly understand, but she knew it was a feeling that she could relate to, if he would only be more open with her.

She held her hands to her heart, as if asking it for directions and guidance. Her eyes sparkled, as an idea came to her, and she smiled. She didn't know if the idea would work, but Tamaranians are known to take risks for their friends.

Starfire left for her room, hoping and praying that everything will turn out all right, and the glorious days of the Titans will return.

Alone in the room, Robin held a hand up.

_It's supposed to be simple, but it's not. _

_Become what you can be. _

_It's about you, it's always been about you._

_Magnificent, ideal color of grey. _

He clenched it, making a determined gesture.

The thunder storm outside the tower had yet to cease.

---

* * *

**Some closing notes: **Don't worry, anyone who thinks I'm ending this, I was just being weird. I'm still thinking about if I should try soy milk. Rose said it was good with chocolate soy milk, so I'm going try that with cooking. Also, Robin's problems have yet to be confronted fully, this is just an aspect. 


	4. Frailty pt 3

**A. Note**: Soy milk and skim milk both taste kind of odd, I conclude. But chocolate soy milk was kind of nice, though it gave me an after taste that I can't seem to dispel. Anyhoo, this chapter will begin the one of the many aspects that makes the Teen Titans a great series, actions. In part, it might make the plot line look iffy, me thinks, but it's just no fun leaving everything to character interactions, there has to be some fighting. Also, one of the more important new characters is to be introduced, further information will be given in the story itself. Also, the storm represents an oncoming horror more so than the trauma in the tower or in Robin, though it could be applied to both.

Standard disclaimer of ownership and properties apply readily.

---**TT**

Chapter 3

--

The thunder storm had finally eased. Much of the dark clouds have diminished and the thunders and lightning were gone. But the rain still poured like a maelstrom, which is why not a single soul was on the streets.

Except for one person.

A man, tall and lean, wearing an outfit that resembled a huge amount of bandages wrapped around his entire body, was treading casually through the rain that resembled a widespread water fall.

He sported combat gloves that seemed to be made out of leather and had a few metal studs mounted on the knuckles. His hair was hazel and long, reaching to the back of his neck, of course, since he was in the rain, it was plastered to many different areas on his face.

Casually, he looked up to the skies, allowing the rain to impact his entire face. He appeared to be chuckling, or shouting, either could be plausible, since the roaring sound of the rain drowned out everything.

His mouth formed a maniacal grin, and he raised his hands and arms upwards, in a welcoming position. With his mouth wide, the man allowed the pouring rain to enter his mouth, drinking it greedily, and breathing much of the volume out.

The man remained standing in that position, taking what is possibly the most outstanding shower known to man. One of his eyes glowed crimson, like a beacon.

Oddly enough, the storm quickly subsided afterwards.

--------------------

--------------------

The termination of the very unappreciated storm was like a boon from heaven. The entire city seemed to have lightened up, and regained its usual luster. People merged from their homes in elation to see the sky blue instead of grey. Clear sky greeted the Titans as well, and the team was glad to see the good weather. Though, some of them didn't really cared. Since the weather had cleared, Fixit announced that he was returning to his lab.

Fixit had set up temporary laboratory in the hills of S.H.E.L.L, an organization that branched from a corporation known as M.A.R.S., a large international company that is rumored to have more skeletons in their closets than the number of times Beast Boy lost at video games.

It was also said that M.A.R.S. had affiliations with S.T.A.R. Lab, though any facts or concrete information are not known.

But since Cyborg's parents had affiliations with S.T.A.R. Lab, Cyborg had decided to encourage Fixit to pay a visit to the shady place, since Fixit did needed an impermanent location to stay, until further arrangements could be made.

Of course, Cyborg had thought about asking Fixit to stay at the tower with the Titans, but after the visit to S.H.E.L.L., Fixit decided to remain there.

As it turned out, Fixit had connections to the facility and its various projects, although most of its existences and plans had disappeared along with some missing scientists, cue in Cyborg's theory on conspiracies.

S.H.E.L.L. was hidden in the hills more to the east of Jump City, where a steady supply of water had flowed near. It was because of its more or less hidden state that caused Cyborg to be suspicious, but he eventually figured it was because the organization wanted to have a strategic standing ground in defense, in case some lunatic with powers decided to raid them like a barbarian.

Fixit was immediately welcomed, though constantly monitored, by the S.H.E.L.L. members. After Cyborg had contacted them to forego a visit, the staff instantly began working through resources to identify the half man, half robot in question. They had recognized him through some data files that were left in the computer storages of S.H.E.L.L., and were surprised to find the information of Fixit readily saved. So when the two parties met, Fixit was instantly greeted eagerly. And so he had decided to set his lab there to stay, temporarily. Some of his memories were recovered there, when he took a tour of the slightly hidden facility. The equipments, the environment, the simple glasses and burets, all of these brought back date files he thought that were long gone.

It was a shame that Fixit had already lost the ability to smell, for the scent of chemicals and odd metals in the area could have most possibly triggered more memories. Cyborg had helped him through his recovery procedure, and it was during that time they became rather unorthodox friends.

Fixit's return was two days after he arrived at the Titans Tower.

-------------------

Fixit, for the second time since he met Cyborg, was perplexed and baffled. Robin had suddenly become much more passive, more introverted than how he was acting before his syncope.

There was no sign of any irrational behavior. In fact, the Boy Wonder seemed to have become the most meticulous individual in the whole tower. Not that he wasn't detailed before, but it seemed to have intensified.

But as long as he wasn't trying to beat up everything and himself, no one wanted to complain. Beast Boy and Cyborg had relaxed considerably, and Starfire was only too happy to see her best friend well and up again.

Raven, on the other hand, reacted rather differently. Apparently she shared some concerns relative to Fixit's. She had worn a cautious and circumspect expression on her face whenever Robin was within her vision. It was if the girl was watching an enemy, an enemy in the same room as her. She was constantly alert and on a look out for any sudden moves or dangerous implications. She even flinched a little, when Robin just held a cup and stopped for a moment before he actually drank from it.

Raven had felt foolish and dopey. It wasn't as if she would care, she rarely cared, unless one of her friends was on the verge of life and death. So, she couldn't comprehend the need to be wary of the Boy Wonder, to be keeping an eye on him. She had felt the slight lost of control in her, supposedly, unnecessary worry, and so had indulged herself in constant meditations for the two days.

Of course, the others weren't oblivious to Raven's odd behaviors and their leader's sullen attitude.

Cyborg and Beast Boy tried to cheer the boy up by, actually more or less forcing, asking him to play the newest edition of Twisted Metal with them. He had politely and weakly declined, saying that he was 'not up to it', or 'I think I'm just going to rest for awhile'.

Starfire had asked Robin to read a few interesting books with her, hoping that maybe some mellow activities were more acceptable to the Boy Wonder. He didn't exactly shun her, but wasn't polite about it either. This gauged her to work on whatever she planned in her room, which is where she spent most of the time during the storm.

The Teen Titans didn't know which was worse, having their leader acting irrational and ireful, or having him gloomy and inactive.

They all said nothing of the situation, each of them wary and uncertain. When Robin had threatened them, it was easy to just decide to restrain him and look for the cause and find a cure. But now that the boy was under control and sober, there wasn't really anything they could do but label him as depressed.

Fixit was a physician, not a psychologist, so they couldn't really ask him for help. Besides, he was leaving as soon as the storm lifted.

Raven was the next logical choice, with her empathic abilities and a rational comprehension of the human psyche; she was the other one with the chance to decipher Robin's unwonted behavior, even if she probably truly didn't care much.

But she was like how Starfire was, almost a day ago-afraid. Of course, she didn't admit to such a sacrilege out loud. Raven didn't want to confront the boy, not now, not when the boy's shady behavior was irking at her own insecurities, her own emotions. So she kept her distance from her friend, had feigned to be impartial, and sought sanctuary in her room, alone.

By the end of the mentioned almost two agonizing days, the storm stopped, and Fixit left with Cyborg in the T-car.

One storm came, another arrived. As they say, misery loves company, and right now, it's infatuated with the Titans.

-------------------

Beast Boy was lying upside down on the couch, pondering.

"Hey, Raven?"

"Yes?" She didn't understand why she was out of her room reading, being pestered by a green elf.

"Maybe I should give Rob some of my Pepsis, people say those things are high on caffeine. Maybe that'd give Mr. crappy attitude some life." He scratched his nose.

Raven was extremely tempted to levitate a huge piece of rock and end her own friend's consciousness, not life, that'll need to be orchestrated professionally.

"Beast Boy, I know your green skin must have killed all your capacity to be intelligent, so I'll say this in simple terms: you can't drug Robin with caffeine."

"Harsh." Beast Boy said, and scratched his nose again. "And people say everyone should be nice to animals." He began pounding his legs against the couch.

Raven resumed reading. Beast Boy fidgeted.

"......are you sure you can't like, read the dude's mind or somethin'?"

Raven sighed. "I'm an empath."

"Riiiiiiggght........." He didn't really understand the difference.

"Oh man........." Beast Boy grunted from his upside down position. He shifted his body and plopped down on the floor, and stayed there.

"Where's Starfire?" He mumbled.

Raven folded her book, ready to leave the presence of annoyance. "She's been in her room, doing.....something."

"Something.....?" Beast Boy looked fearful mockingly.

Raven sighed. "I doubt she'd make another attempt at creating the world's biggest rubber band ball."

That, had been an interesting day. The day when Starfire discovered the contests of world records.

"Hehehehehehahahahaha....! That was great! When she rolled the ball out of her room! I thought I was in some Indiana Jones movie!"

Raven picked up her book and ignored the green teen. She was about to return to her room for silence when a very unwelcome noise intruded into their home.

_**Warning! Warning! Warning! Warning! Warning! Warning! **_

".....you've got to be kidding me." Beast Boy groaned.

"It's not an illusion......curses." Raven spat, and ran to the computer, going through the systematic procedure.

Starfire came flying out her room. "What is the trouble!?" she asked.

Raven was seen typing furiously on the keyboard. Beast Boy noticed that Starfire had several strings and patches sticking onto her outfit.

"Hey, Star. You got something on your boots."

"Eeep." She squealed as she quickly swatted the material off, and smiled nervously. Beast Boy just raised an eyebrow questioningly, too annoyed by the sudden alarm to be interrogative.

"It's at the south side of the city, a jewelry store near Koran Street. It's Mumbo Jumbo."

Starfire frowned. "The very unattractive and annoying illusionist has returned yet again?"

Raven nodded. "Senior citizens never do rest easy."

Beast Boy was about to talk when a piercing voice broke his concentration.

"Where's Cyborg?" Robin had showed up suddenly, and none of the Titans had noticed his entrance.

Beast Boy leaped into the air, caught off guard, and spiraled to the ground.

"Okay, I'm not getting up anymore."

Raven kicked him.

"Cyborg has volunteered to escort friend Fixit back to his shelter." Starfire informed the Boy Wonder eagerly.

Robin nodded. His face carved with determination, a gigantic contrast to his melancholy attitude from before.

Raven noticed that his cape somehow appeared shrouding, covering his body like a robe. Perhaps she was just seeing things, but the leader appeared darker, more vigilant. But if he was out of his hellhole, then no one should complain.

Robin moved forward. "Let's go. I'll contact Cyborg on the way. Where's this S.H.E.L.L. located?"

Raven spoke up. "Cyborg said it's near the Addison's Bay."

Robin sneered. "That's too far from our destination, we'll just have to deal with Mumbo ourselves."

He motioned to leave and the rest of the Titans followed when suddenly another alarm rang through the tower.

_**Warning! Warning! Warning! Warning! Warning! Warning! **_

Robin immediately dashed back to the computer, receiving the system's analysis.

"Why has the computer emitted a second siren? What is the trouble?" Starfire exclaimed worriedly.

The Boy Wonder gave her an answer she didn't like.

"It's the H.I.V.E."

Beast Boy groaned.

"......you've gotta be shitting me!"

-------------------

-------------------

Robin was on the R-cycle, speeding on the road and avoiding traffic with magnificent maneuvers, some may say that the movie Torque might actually be filmed with real stunts.

Several lucky pedestrians who got to see the Teen Titans speeding to action were gaping and cheering.

Starfire and Beast Boy, who morphed into a falcon, flew close to the speeding motorcycle.

--T--

"_What do we do?" Raven asked. _

"_We'll divide the team up." Robin answered. _

'_Dude, it'll take all of us to take on the H.I.V.E.! And I only have eight hands at most!" Beast Boy whined. _

"_There is substantial possibility for an ambush if we are separated in combat." Starfire pointed out. _

--T--

Raven is seen descending from flight and lands near an intersection on a street.

--T--

"_It's not Gizmo, Mammoth, and Jinx." Robin said. _

"_Huh?" the other three chorused. _

"_It appears to be some of their newer recruits. This might be their training mission." Robin turned around and began walking out the tower. _

"_In this case, Mumbo Jumbo would prove to be more of a threat, so most of us will be dealing with him." _

--T--

Robin sees traffic up ahead, his brows furrows. He leans his weight backwards and pulls the front of the R-cycle upwards to perform a backyard jump onto a stopped vehicle. He then proceeds to execute several 'Miami hoppers' related bike tricks to jump through the traffic.

--T--

"_Which of us will form the force to stop the H.I.V.E.?" Starfire asked. _

"_Cyborg's destination is on a route closer to the science facilities. The landscapes there are treacherous, so Raven's powers are suited to provide assistance." Robin explained. _

--T--

Starfire and Beast Boy flies higher in the air, scouting for any preemptive sight of the magician.

Starfire spots some mayhem up ahead and calls to Beast Boy, who nods, shrieks, and soars to the sky quicker.

--T--

_Robin dials into his communicator. "Cyborg, do you read?" _

_Psssss. An image of the android shows. "Loud and clear, boss. Over." _

"_Where's Fixit? Over."_

"_I managed to get Fixit back to his lab, so no worries there. I'm on my way back. Over."_

"_Be prepared to rendezvous at Raven's communicator coordinates and give her a lift. She'll be your personal assistant. Over."_

--T--

Raven teleports through a building via a portal. She walks over to the middle of the road, and waits.

She hears some loud noises and looks over to the source. She sees the T-car coming at her fast. She remains waiting on the road, patiently. Just when the vehicle is about to collide with her, she uses her powers to faze through the exterior of the vehicle and cuts off immediately, to land softly on the cushions of the passenger's seat.

Cyborg gives her a 'thumbs up' and shifts the T-car into overdrive.

--T--

"_You get what cha ordered. Over."_

"_That's all, over and out." Robin shuts the communicator off, and begins to dart towards the garage wordlessly._

"_Ummmmmm, don't we usually get a 'Titans, go!', or something?" Beast Boy scratches his head. _

"........................"

-------------------

--------------------

"That's all for the show today, boys and girls! You were too kind!" The Amazing Mumbo exclaimed as the customers and clerks all gaped in fear but also with slight amazement.

Grabbing a stuffed bag, Mumbo waltzes to the door, and bows.

"I'll be taking my fee for the show now." He jingles the bag containing the diamonds and various jewelries for effect, then magically shoved the bag into his hat.

"Oh, and I'm not here all week." He cackles as he leaves through the broken door.

As soon as Mumbo's foot made contact with the sidewalk, Robin on the R-cycle charges over Mumbo's head and lands dramatically, creating a loud screech from the tires as well as a slight upheaval of dust.

"Waaaaaaaahhh! By the love of Houdini's grave! It's you pesky heroes again! Why can't you ruin someone else's act!?." Mumbo points and hops slightly place.

Robin, with the helmet fastened securely over his head, frowns and accelerates the R-cycle again, seemingly intending to ram the irksome magician.

Mumbo managed a 'bwah!' and took out an umbrella.

The umbrella somehow picked up on a wind current, and also somehow made the crafty thief light enough to ascend with the umbrella. He dodged Robin's charge rather comically.

"And they say Mary Poppins isn't a magician!!! Ahahahahahaha!!!"

Zing! Zap! "Hya! Ha!"

"Ooooooo.....poops." Mumbo Jumbo's umbrella was disintegrated by the Tamaranian girl's powerful star bolts.

Mumbo Jumbo began to feel the effects of gravity. "Well, now, what would Houdini do in a situation like this!?"

He didn't really have time to effectively express his intentions or joke as Beast Boy charged in, morphing from a falcon and into a monkey. He dived straight for the man's very oddly blue face.

"Wooohaahahahahaha!" The green monkey shrieked.

"Ayiiiiiii! Get off me, you mangy animal!" Beast Boy's intention was to let Mumbo fall to the ground when he distracted him with primal action, but Mumbo Jumbo suddenly pulled out a flower and squirted massive amounts of water at the green monkey.

Beast Boy morphed back into human as he was washed away, "Tidal wave!!! Wipe out!!!" and collided headfirst with a trash can.

"Okay," said Beast Boy, with his head on the ground and legs in the air, "No one told me the screwy lunatic was using clown tricks!"

SHOOOO!!!

"Cease your illusions and trickeries!!!" Starfire cried as she charged straight for the magician.

"Why, if it isn't my lovely assistant! Have you finally decided to return to aid in my stardom!?"

A couple of well aimed star bolts answered that question.

"Hah! Hya!" ZING ZAP!!!

"Waahhhh!!!"

The Amazing Jumbo yelped as he did some Macarena styled moves and dodged the emerald beams.

Just when Mumbo was about to pull something from his sleeve, a grappler hook entangled itself around his wrist. and he was forcefully hauled back by Robin.

"Ugah!" Mumbo was forcefully hauled back by Robin.

Robin had used one hand to fire the grappler hook and the other maintained his direction and balance on the R-cycle as he came intending on ramming the crafty villain again.

ROOOOOMM!!!

Mumbo Jumbo used the time gape between Robin's attack to pull out what he was about to-a series of multi-colored cloths, and in unbelievably endless supply.

"Nothing up my sleeve......but these!"

The clothes tangled around the charging R-cycle and Robin's helmet, impairing his vision.

"Arrggh!!!" He shot another grappler hook into a building and hauled himself up, but not before setting the motorcycle's automated safety system.

The R-cycle parked itself safely on the road.

Robin took off his helmet and threw it at Mumbo, and took out three explosive discs from his utility belt at the same time.

"Wowzers!" Mumbo did a back flip and the helmet passed where his shins would have been.

"Hah!!!" Robin then flung the discs.

With the Boy Wonder's previous intervention, Mumbo had forgotten about the Tamaranian warrior's presence. He was assuredly reminded as he felt a strong force impact him during the flip.

CRUNK!!

All of Starfire's knuckles dug into Mumbo's back and the impact sent him flying back towards Robin's thrown explosive discs.

Mumbo's eyes widened as the discs got closer, but he suddenly grinned and took off his hat and allowed the discs to enter, which oddly, didn't explode. More oddly, is that the discs came out of the hat, as if they went through a two-way portal.

The explosive discs thus reeled back towards the Boy Wonder.

Robin's eyes narrowed.

BOOOOOM!!!

------------------

The facility that was being attacked was the SCR Grand Central Station. Four H.I.V.E. members were present, each apparently doing their own various tasks of retrieval and theft.

One of the four was a young lad with a flame flowers on each of his hands, the curious thing though, was that he had no obvious fuel tank to draw the flame from. The young lad was the one to have melted through the facility exterior security armory. His red suit glittered from the explosions and fire sparks of the destroyed machines, and grey eyes danced along.

Immediately, at least over a dozen guards in the standard protective suits armed with laser rifles came rushing.

The trained guards immediately went into offensive line formation, as judging by the looks of the intruders, they were sure that lethal attacks were in order, and thus all of them began firing at will.

But no matter how trained they were, the opposition would still prove too much for them, especially since they've only seen half of the intruders' forces.

A girl, perhaps in her early adolescence, wore a green leotard and had flowing blonde hair. Her eyes are covered just like the way most criminals and heroes are, with an eye mask. She had some simple bracelets on her wrists, and a headband that had the initials 'S.P.' on it.

She was going past the security guards and laser attacks like wind, literally.

When the guards were bewildered and confused, another one of the H.I.V.E team members emerged from the ground the guards stood upon. He was colossal, and pummeled them relentlessly. He was apparently a genetically engineered being like Mammoth, though there seemed to be some powerful animal genes spliced within him as well. His body was covered with a coating of fur, as well as a seemingly green armor plating that only reached to his knees.

The giant grunted as several more guards arrived and were already shooting at his easily targeted body. He held his palms and arms to his face to prevent any serious damage to the facial area.

The guards were too focused on the giant and the other two villains to notice the last H.I.V.E. team member sneak up behind them.

FLASH! FLIN! SLICE! SHRING!

A flash of light and metal skewed through and the last member was seen crouched in front of the guards now, holding his metal claws out, which would be the his weapons of choice.

The guards' rifles were sliced and diced rather cleanly, and they all gasped in fear as the front portions of their weapons fell to the ground, like well cut vegetables.

The last member now stood tauntingly and menacingly, chuckling at the fearful behaviors of the guards, though he couldn't see their expressions since they all had the gas masks on.

Now standing, the young man was defined by his dark colored, light weighted outfit. It resembled a diving suit in certain respects. His skin and eyes showed the prospects of a feline, which is further enforced by the ferocious attitude and tendency to toy with his prey.

"Nice job there, Cleave." The giant thanked as he walked to his side, each footstep creating a small crater.

"Nothing to it, Grout. Standard training, really. These idiots just aren't challenging enough." Cleave licked his claws. "Hey, I wonder how their blood tastes like." He hissed.

At this, the guards decided that retreat was the most pragmatic and idealistic plan they could come up with.

"Hahahahahaha!!! That was tight you guys!" The flame thrower laughed as he approached his two teammates.

"Stop laughing, Blaze." The girl materialized from the air. "Hyenas are less annoying."

"You've never seen hyenas, Fiona." Cleave commented.

"Lion King was enough." Fiona sneered.

Blaze chuckled. "Hahahahehehehe, Fiona, you have **got** to get a cool name soon."

Fiona fumed. "I'm still thinking about it, a girl's gotta be thorough and careful in her decisions."

Blaze smirked. "Yeah right, you're just mad because you couldn't be called Hello Kitty!"

Cleave licked his claws. "Shut up, you jackasses, we've got a huge corporation to plunder." Cleave walked shrewdly and motioned for his giant teammate to follow.

"Grout, will you be so kind?" He motioned to the now sealed metal doors.

"Huh? I am kind?"

Cleave frowned.

"They should have spliced some brain cells."

ZOOOOONNN!

Blaze was about to interject when a sonic blast suddenly impinged Grout from the back.

"Huh?" They all reacted slower than they should have. The T-car came straight at them.

Fortunately, the three managed to jump, fade, and roll away before the T-car could collide with them and make them into road kill.

The T-car turned to the side and stopped as Cyborg stepped on the breaks. He was sweating and his teeth were chattering.

"You're lucky nothing happened to my baby." He said to the shady girl beside him.

"And here I was hoping." Raven said before she exited the vehicle.

"Oh! I hope, I say, I hope some greasy old hobo finds his way into your room!"

The four H.I.V.E. members recovered and grouped together. Cleave sneered.

"It's the Teen Titans!"

Raven floated in the air.

"What do we do!?"

"Duh! We kick their-"

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" she levitated the broken and abandoned parts of the rifles and threw them at the H.I.V.E.

"Ackies!!!"

Cleave leapt out of the way.

Fiona just fazed through the materials, as she was unable to dodge quick enough.

Grout just took the hit, though it didn't affect him much.

FOOOOON!

"Hahahahahaha!!!" Blaze laughed and used his flame throwers to melt the metal pieces, but was knocked down by a clear shot from Cyborg's sonic cannon.

ZOOOOOON!!

"Booya! You kids really need to watch your own backs." Cyborg exclaimed with his mechanical arm turned into his powerful sonic weaponry.

"Spread out!!!" Cleave yelled as he and Fiona dashed to the sides. Grout charged headstrong towards the two Titans, probably his only effective attack as of yet.

Cyborg crouched and aimed his sonic cannon at the ground, waiting for the gigantic monster to approach.

"Yo, Raven!" He shouted. "You know what I just learned about these pansies!?"

Fiona fizzled into the air molecules and flew towards Raven.

"Let's see how you handle vapor labor!!!'

Raven raised her hand, palm towards the girl.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

Fiona found herself running into a wall of black energy.

"What?" she cried as the black wall suddenly folded and caged her in.

When Raven had previous attacked them with the broken parts of the rifles, it was merely to test their opponents' abilities. Unexpected though, was that they each pretty much revealed their abilities on sight, especially with Fiona's unprofessional usage of her mist skill. And as it were, they seriously lacked experience.

Raven looked towards the crouching Cyborg. "Rank amateurs?"

"Couldn't be greener!"

ZOOOOONN!!!

A gigantic sonic wave coursed through the ground and the upheaval of the concretes flew as Grout's charge neared. Grout was unceremoniously taken off balance and blown away.

"Uuuuuuhhh..." Blaze groaned as he tried to get back up, but was struck to the ground by Fiona's body landing on him, encased in black energy.

"Rah!!!" Cleave leaped from the side and ferociously swiped at Raven with his deadly metal claws, desperate to land a blow somewhere.

Raven used her powers to create a black shield against the strike.

"I'm going to skew you!"

FLASH! Cleave's attack.

"Do I look like a scratching post?"

ROOON!! Raven's defense.

Cleave growled as his attack fell short.

He tried some lower ranged attacks. "Arrgh!" ROOON!! Raven just met him attack to attack.

Cleave soon became too enthralled by the prospect of needing to hit the gothic girl, and neglected the other Titan.

"Ha!" ROOON! "Ya!" ROOON! "Gah!" ROOON! "Ha-ack!"

Cyborg picked up the teen by the edge of his suit. He smiled purposefully at the cat dude, before giving him a taste of a good android punch.

WHACK!! And the feline human teen was out cold.

Cyborg wiped his hand. "Now, there ain't gonna be any pussy cats nagging our ice queen from hell."

"Mr. Teletubbies is angry with you kids." Raven said in monotone.

"Wha!? Yo, Raven! What you saying, girl!? That was low!" Raven grinned, however slightly, and began using her powers to control some broken wire parts to tie up the grounded villains.

"Awwww, man, I think I broke a rib." Blaze groaned as the wires wrapped around his bodies.

Cyborg began walking over. "I'd be more worried about what your parents are gonna think, that, and how you gonna live the rest of your life with dignity."

Raven suddenly sensed something. "Cyborg! Look out!"

SHUUUNN!! A stream of violet waves coursed into the grounds before Cyborg.

"Whoaa!!" He stumbled a little as the ground began shaking and collapsing.

Cyborg instantly readied his sonic cannon again, but he knew who attacked.

Raven flew next to him but several feet above him, powers glowing dangerously and hood over her head.

The attacker jumped in front of the two Titans, on the other side of the broken surface of the ground.

Cyborg's brow narrowed. "Jinx........"

------------------

Smoke filled the entire area as the discs exploded tremendously.

"Robin!" "Rob!" shouted Starfire and Beast Boy respectively.

Robin flipped out of the exploding smoke and landed a little far from the other two. He immediately began searching for Mumbo.

Starfire and Beast Boy sighed in relief.

Beast Boy turned into an elephant and used his green trunk to blow the smoke away, and the three tried looking for Mumbo.

"Okay, where's the old fart!?"

Mumbo had used the distraction to leap unto the roof of the buildings.

Starfire saw the crafty magician's escape, and shouted, "Friends, on the buildings!" before flying swiftly after.

Robin narrowed his eyes again and shot another grappler hook and gave chase, followed by a green hawk.

Mumbo ran quite relaxed but considerably fast, and it was rather frustrating.

He turned his head briefly and caught the sight of the Titans still on his trail. He pulled his wand from his coat and pointed it at Beast Boy.

"Alakazam!" A magical beam shot from the wand. SHRIIIIING!!!

Beast Boy shrilled and dodged the beam.

"Abrakadabra!" SHRIIIING!!!

"Eeek!" Starfire gasped and flew higher to avoid the beam.

Robin was running on the building tops of the other side of the block.

The Boy Wonder sneered and his eyes became dark, as he watched Mumbo shooting magical beams at his teammates.

With one hard step on the edge of the building, Robin leapt all the way over to Mumbo's side, and landed right next to him.

"Raugh!" Robin was in a crouching position as he used his leg to perform a sweep attack.

Mumbo bounced into the air, avoiding Robin's sweep, and shot several more magical beams at Starfire and Beast Boy while tugging at something in his coat. He ended up pulling out a red carpet, scratch that, a magical red carpet.

"Tada!" Mumbo chuckled as he laid the carpet flat and stood on it, struggling to balance.

Robin growled, looked at his surroundings, and darted off in a different direction.

---

On the bottom of the streets, a crimson eye flared.

"Hehehehehehehehehe.......joy to the world, and all its crazy little munchkins......"

---

Once he got the hang of balancing on the carpet, Mumbo turned back around to face the two flying Titans. Now that he didn't have to divide his attention into running, Mumbo could just concentrate on shooting.

"Well now, this is more like it!!! Alakazam! Abrakadabra! Hocus Pocus!"

SHRIIIING! SHRIIIING! SHRIIIIN!

Starfire's eyes glowed bright green and she powered up her hands with star bolts.

"Huh!" The girl avoided the consecutive beams and shot back.

ZING! ZAP! ZING! ZING!

"Waaaaahh!!!" Mumbo now didn't have much leg room to maneuver, as the carpet was basically on autopilot. So he had to strain his waist and back to move out of the star bolts' way.

Starfire immediately noticed this and began aiming for the carpet instead.

She gathered much more energy in her fist. "Yah!" And let loose a single strong star bolt.

Mumbo covered himself with his arms and one lifted leg when the star bold neared.

"Eh?" He squeaked as he saw that half of the carpet was burned to ashes.

"Now you're just burning my act!" He took one step off the carpet and dropped straight down towards the ground.

Beast Boy shrilled and dove beeline for the descending magician, though uncertain whether to assume an attack or be concerned for the dropping villain.

Beast Boy needn't have cared, for Mumbo hooked onto a clothes line with his now curvy wand. So Beast Boy decided to peck his oddly long nose, or use his talons to squeeze it.

Unfortunately, the magician was still yet to be helpless.

"Alakazam!" Mumbo shot at a pink dress with his magic. It glowed brightly before dozens upon dozens of pigeons flew out, colliding and blinding the green hawk.

And since Beast Boy couldn't just continue plowing through the flying vermin, he paused, which caused him to drop as hawks aren't famous for hovering.

Beast Boy transformed into a monkey again, and held on to a clothes line on the lower levels.

Mumbo decided not to pass up on the chance, and shot a beam at the clothes line and turned it into what looked like silly strings, a LOT of silly strings. He then flung himself onto the roofs again.

"Aaaaarrrrr!!" Beast Boy cried as he tried pulling the silly strings off, buy they were glued onto him quite adhesively, which now proved to him that it probably wasn't silly strings.

"I am so gonna just shave my head." he morphed into larger animals, in hopes of stretching the strings beyond their potential, but to no avail. If anything, the strings held on stronger and the sticky substances now covered his eyes as well.

"Aaaahh!! This is not bueno!!!!"

"Beast Boy!" shouted Starfire, concerned. She turned the concern for her friend into righteous fury and chased after Mumbo.

ZING! "Ack!" Mumbo moved his foot in time to avoid having it singed with a hole.

"You have made my friend Beast Boy uncomfortable with viscid substances! And I shall have to be the one to snip his hair with scissors!!!" She powered up more star bolts and charged at the magician.

Mumbo actually jumped towards Starfire, hand and wand extended. "And for my next trick! Wala!" He produced a disappearing box, and Starfire was flying too fast to avoid being trapped inside.

"Aaaahh!!!" She screamed as the door of the box closed.

"Abrakadabra!"

SHRIIIING!!!

"Aauuughh!!!" Starfire used her immense alien strength and punched through the box, flying outside to find......... the junkyard!?

"When..!? How...!?" Starfire looked around frantically and discovered that she was somehow was indeed teleported to the junkyard of the city.

"Ooooooooo!" She complained as she took off for the general direction of the area where she was last.

Mumbo bowed. "Thank you! Ladies and gentlemen! You were, too kind!"

He was sure that he had successfully rid himself of his pursuers until a few smoke bombs exploded next to him.

"Huh!?" _Hack! Cough!_ The smoke was rather unexpected so he hesitated before looking for a way to escape.

Mumbo used his cape to cover his mouth and used the hand holding his wand to try and swat away the offending cloud of particles.

"Raaaaagh!!!!" A bo-staff cleaved through the thick, grayish vapors and struck against Mumbo's arm, hard.

POW!!! Mumbo's form was sent flying over the edge of the building and downwards to the ground.

Not one to be outdone during his acts, Mumbo quickly magically extended his wand towards the ground and used that extended wand as a pole-vault to slow his fall.

He moaned as the Boy Wonder actually landed on the streets more graceful and faster than he did.

"Now you're just being persistent!"

Robin glared at the man, and his hand went to his utility belt.

Mumbo was now curious why the teen had yet to say a word since the pursuit began, though he knew he couldn't really just ask him and voted off thinking about it when he was being chased.

"Hocus Pocus!!" Mumbo used one finger to pull down one of his sleeves to reveal a stream of poker cards, hundreds and hundreds of pokers cards.

"Pick a card! Any card!"

His position left him wide open for Robin's next attack.

Robin used his cape as cover and dove into the massive numbers of poker cards, unafraid of their supposedly sharp edges.

CREEENN!!!

"Huh?" Mumbo gawked as he watched his wand sliced by Robin's birdarang. Robin emerged from the storm of cards unharmed.

"Nooooooo!!!" As is the effects of the broken wand, Mumbo turned into the overall wearing, long nosed, half bald man he really is.

The big bag of jewelries fell out of his black coat before he transformed back.

Robin began walking towards the hapless villain.

Mumbo sighed and sat down tiredly as the Boy Wonder walked over. "I guess my act is over now, and now it's you bratty kids' act to give me some backstage time in jail..."

Robin stood silently, looming over the old man.

"But count on a reemergence, The Amazing Mumbo will live again! That is, if I can find where I put-"

WHOMP!!!

Mumbo flew to the side of the street, close to a fire hydrant.

"Owwww!!! W-what are you doing!?" Robin glared, the fist he punched him with still held in front of the leader of the Titans.

_There is no distinction between good and bad, they're all the same...._

_I will never stop. I am what keeps you up at night..._

_It's supposed to be simple, but it's not..._

"Stay a-away! N-no d-don't!" SLAM!!!

Robin kicked him hard in the ribs, and Mumbo flew across the pavement.

The Boy Wonder's breath was now ragged and harsh.

"Simple ......... exist....... must stop........"

--------------------

"Stone...." Jinx whispered back.

Cyborg kept his sonic cannon ready. "It's Cyborg. You should know that by now, or are you really just an airhead?"

Jinx shook her head. "No, your real name was Stone, I checked your background."

The teen managed to look surprised a bit before narrowing his brow. "That was a long time ago...and if you didn't notice, I'm running on batteries now."

Jinx had wanted to point out the fact that Cyborg still used the name during his infiltration of the H.I.V.E., but decided not to voice it here.

Instead, she turned to the fallen rookies, and fired a stream of purple spells, destroying the restraints.

The four villains stood up weakly, some holding their head and some their stomach.

"Azarath, Metrion-" Raven stopped as Cyborg held a hand up to her. The android readied his cannon, geared from 'stun mode' into 'lethal mode'.

"We're leaving, we won't bother you anymore...." Jinx said, passively.

"I can't let you do that, they've attacked a part of the city, and now they need to pay for their crimes. It's how things work." The two stared at each other.

Raven floated right next to Cyborg. Her eyes glowed as her powers readied.

Jinx's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Uuuuhhh, hey! It's Jinx!" Fiona exclaimed as she regained more of her bearings.

Cleave was about to say something when Jinx gave a command.

"Retreat. Orders from the headmaster." The four nodded dumbly and scattered off.

Cyborg fired a shot, shocking the four rookies in their steps. Jinx didn't flinch, but her eyes were still pleading.

"Not gonna be screwed over that easily." Raven remained silent.

Jinx sighed. "Stone, listen-"

"I thought it was Cyborg."

Jinx's expressions did not change, but changed the sentence.

"Cyborg." She waited. Cyborg's cannon did not lower.

"I want you and the Titans to stay out of the way, better yet, leave the city for awhile."

Cyborg frowned. "That was a really lame threat, you can do better. You know we're not going to just let the H.I.V.E. have its way, especially when Brother Blood things he can mess with my friends."

"Most of the H.I.V.E. will be evacuating the city as well, headmaster's orders." Jinx said, with a distressed tone hindering her words.

Cyborg and Raven are now both curious, but still kept their guard up.

All the while when Cyborg and Jinx were conversing, Raven had been using her empathic abilities to judge Jinx's tone and voice, acting as a lie detector and a radar for the surrounding area.

She didn't like the slight distress she picked up.

"What's going on here, Jinx? The H.I.V.E. is evacuating?"

Jinx closed her eyes, and spoke. "Something big is coming up."

"How big?"

"D-day big. It's colossal, and even the H.I.V.E. isn't sweet with it."

Cyborg looked towards Raven, with his arm still posed.

Raven shook her head and waved her hand, indicating that she couldn't tell. Jinx was another spell caster after all, and wasn't exactly to most obvious of individuals.

"Most of the H.I.V.E. members were hired by someone, I don't who this person is, but those four," she pointed to Cleave and the others, "and a lot of the other students were hired to attack and steal something from these facilities."

She took a breath. "But the headmaster had just told us we are to retreat, and abandon the project immediately until further orders."

Raven moved forward a bit, though she wasn't sure why.

"So? Maybe that Edgar Allen Poe wannabe just got diarrhea."

Jinx frowned. "You should know during your one-man-army time in the H.I.V.E., that we never break contracts, unless we fail."

Cyborg smirked. "Guess there was a lot of shredded paper works and disappointed madmen."

"Not as disappointing as your dancing skills. I wondered why your feet made dents in the floor." She countered.

"Whatever, I still got nightmares from touching you."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Touching......Cyborg?"

"Uhhhh, it's complicated."

"And I don't hate tofu."

"Rrrrghhh! Just leave this alone!"

Jinx didn't look too pleased with this conversation.

Cyborg refocused himself on Jinx. "Talk, wiggy."

"Wiggy? Pet names already? You're smooth, Mr. Teletubbies."

"Raven, shut up before I unkindly shut it for you."

Raven was about to make another wisecrack when the four rookies began moving again.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!!!" Broken parts and metal scraps hovered around the entire area.

"I've seen enough horror flicks to know how to make this scene really messy." No one dared to move, including Cyborg.

Confident to a degree that the dark girl wouldn't kill him, yet, Cyborg tried again.

"Jinx, talk."

"Let them go first, they're only new recruits, you've already bullied them, be satisfied."

"After you spill the damned beans."

".......I-I don't know."

"Stammering and controversy are the first steps towards an utter clichéd confession of dark crappy secrets. Raven's words."

Raven folded her arms and glared at the teen slightly. Cyborg still kept his cannon aimed at the witch.

"................................."

"....................."

ZOOOOON!!!

Cyborg shot a sonic blast, very close to Jinx's pink cotton hair. Cleave flinched as the attack also almost bore a sizzling hot hole through his arm.

"..............." Jinx stood firmly and unwavering, though her eyes shined with ambiguity.

"Damn, I missed." Cyborg deadpanned, without emotion.

The four idiots still didn't get it. Raven moved the objects around, particularly close to Jynx.

"Run, before you're unidentifiable." They scrambled off.

Now only the three remained, and Cyborg finally lowered his cannon.

"Speak."

"........the headmaster broke the contract, because this job is too dangerous to handle, and if the headmaster deems this project too enormous and dangerous for the H.I.V.E. to take, then I can only say it's the same for you."

"What was the H.I.V.E. hired to do?" Raven asked, although still voicing Cyborg's question.

But Jinx didn't look pleasant about answering to the other witch-person.

"I'll talk to you when I need to vomit." Cyborg frowned.

"There are lines never meant to be crossed, girl, and you just smeared it across the pavement. Don't ever insult one of my friends, Raven included." He mentally felt guilty as Jinx appeared slightly more upset.

"Think of her as the secretary of demonic minds and anguish. What she asks, is just what I'm too slow to process."

"And I thought that computer in your brain was real." Raven whispered.

Cyborg groaned. "Never knew compliments and insults worked the same with you."

"You called me a secretary."

Jinx interrupted their not so inconspicuous quarrel.

"We were, more or less, hired to steal some information, that's all. Most likely the first step of the project."

"Is this the first step?" Cyborg asked, indicating the damaged building and flaming debris.

"Yes, I don't know anything beyond this, like I said before, we've just quit."

"Name, I need a name."

"Cyborg, can't you just leave this-"

"Name."

Jinx sighed, in defeat and frustration. She didn't understand why she was so uncontrolled. At least **acting** calm and collected was one of the first lessons learned in the academy, and yet she is fumbling with words and showing vulnerability.

"I-I don't know, I've never met the person. None of the H.I.V.E. students have. We just receive orders, like how it always works."

Cyborg remained silent for awhile before walking back to the T-car, Raven trailing behind.

"Wait! You're not thinking of staying here, are you!? This is serious, even Brother Blood stepped out! You can't stay!"

Cyborg turned to look at the frantic girl. "The Titans never surrender." And he continued walking.

Jinx bit her lip, cursing herself. "Loki."

Cyborg and Raven stopped.

"Loki. That's the only thing I've managed to rig from this. I don't know anything beyond that."

Cyborg nodded. "Thanks, Jinx." And he continued walking.

Jinx watched the android's back for a few moments before running off.

Cyborg leaned on his baby, and remained silent. Raven stood next to him, waiting.

He looked at the girl. "Get in the car, we're gonna get the others."

--------------------

Starfire flew around frantically, unable to trace her way back to the fighting area. Just when she was confused and trying to think hard, a sudden dark feeling surrounded her, a dark and most unpleasant feeling.

"Who is there!?" she shouted. When no sound perceived, she was about to cast the thought off as paranoia when a voice rang through her mind.

_Pretty girl, what are you doing all alone? Come with me...._

The voice sounded both masculine and feminine at the same time, a very icky and twisted combination.

"Cease your unpleasant voice! Please show yourself! I do not wish to go with you!"

_Come with me..... to a place of happiness and jovial plains......where the sun never sets...._

"I already have friends and a place of happiness! And a planet that does not have sunsets is likely to be submerged in high ultraviolet rays, and is so very unhealthy!"

_No authorities ...... only joy and freedom...... a perfect dream......_

Starfire suddenly felt a strong tug at her chest. She winced as she found her head spinning, and felt the need to obey the voices.

_That's right, come with me......to the true utopia......for you have been chosen......to live in such a grandiose paradise......_

Starfire began flying towards a direction shortly, before she instantly steeled herself.

"I will.....not obey such....an unseemly..... invitation...!"

_Come with me.........you'll be happy......_

"I can feel the essence of evil....! I will not obey!" Starfire's eyes shined brightly, full of her powers. Her powers caused the air around her to heat up as well, creating a slightly visible mirage.

_Ack......_

And the voice was gone.

Starfire panted a little, and floated onto the rooftop of a nearby building, gathering her bearings.

She didn't know whether to be scared out of her wits, or proud that she just successfully overcame a powerful mind control attempt. She was probably both. The Tamaranian immediately thought of informing her friends of the creepy situation-

Her friends!!! Robin! Beast Boy! She had to know if they were all right!

The evil source will be discussed later, she thought. And so gathering her solar powers, Starfire flew faster in search of her friends.

--------------------

SPUNK! THUNK! SLAM! WHAM!

Robin had begun seriously beating the defenseless old man, and seemed to only gain more anger as he relentlessly tortured the man.

Mumbo was crying and crawling to get away by now, but his body was harmed too much to be usable, so he only had one hand stretched before him, yearning for a miracle to save him.

"P-p-please...." Blood dripped from his chin.

Robin growled. "Black stains shouldn't exist. You'll always come back, unless you're dead."

_It's always been about you........._

"There's no room for the confused, no room for hesitation."

"P-p-p-p-please....."

_You are not pure of white......._

"Righteousness is what keeps people going, it's what keeps people safe."

_You're lying and running away again......_

"It's because of criminals like you......that people's lives are miserable...!"

"_Hahahahahahahahahaha!"_

"I'm the one who stops villains like you."

He raised a birdarang.

"p-please s-s-top...."

FLASH!

Robin's eyes went wide and he dropped the birdarang.

_"Stop..........Slade...."_

_"I will never stop."_

He stared at his hands in pure horror, gaping at the small blood stains on his gloves. The Boy Wonder backed away from Mumbo, who was still crying out for help. The strain and fear was too overwhelming and the old man passed out.

Robin continued backing up, until his back touched a wall.

"_So, I ask you: who stops you?"_

The teen stares at the ground, passively, until a voice breaks his reverie.

"Quite vicious, and here I thought superheroes would risk their own neck to save the lives of villains as well." A crimson eye glowed.

"Very refreshing to see a change. Hehehehehehehahahahahaha!!!"

The man in the rain storm walked out of an alley, and stood before the Boy Wonder. The teen now looked pathetic and weak, and the man was rather amused.

Robin slowly looked up at the man, scrutinizing his appearances. Even in deep shock, the Boy Wonder still has the second nature of analyzation.

As mentioned before, the man had long hazel hair, and now that it's dry, flowed freely with the wind breezes.

The man's skin was rather tanned, and made a huge contrast with the color of his outfit. What resembled massive amounts of bright, yellow bandages formed his clothing, though they were all sewed together.

His combat gloves were dirty brown, and several stains on it indicted dry blood. The metal knuckle nubs reflected the sunlight.

His boots were long and reached almost to his knees, and they had unnecessarily a lot of buckles.

To describe his built would be difficult, but the man was rather tall, almost to Cyborg's height, and was lean in the prospects that he had some strong muscles. Scars ran across his shoulders and chest, showed through the gaps of his clothes.

His right eye was black, while his left eye was crimson, as it glowed many times before.

Robin reacted to the red eye immediately and gritted his teeth.

"Huh?" The man grunted as he noticed the boy's sudden change in attitude.

What Robin saw, were the overlaying images of Slade and the man before wielding the despicable red eye.

Both men's left eyes stared dauntingly, calmly, and amusedly.

"Aaarrrrghhh!!!" Robin darted fast towards the stranger and threw a quick punch right at his face.

The man caught it easily, and kicked the boy back into the wall, which created a slight crack.

"Hahahahahahaha!!! Insanity! I like it, you're an interesting kid!" He waltzed towards Robin casually, taking each of his steps uncaringly.

Robin lifted his head, and what was shown was not the expression of the leader of the Teen Titans, nor the face of the Boy Wonder. What was revealed was the tormented and berserk face of a spirit that belongs to a crazed warrior.

"Gaaaarrghh!!!" Robin advanced again, in awkward movements, but proved effective as the man was caught slightly off guard.

"Hehehe." He smirked as he blocked and dodged the various attacks.

Robin made a round kick to his waist. He blocked it with his elbow. Robin followed it up with sweep kicks to break his balance. He jumped to avoid the attack and countered it with a heel drop.

Robin flipped backwards, dodging the kick by a few inches.

He charged again and attacked his with consecutive punches.

One of the punches landed on the arm and the man grinned. Quickly grasping the arm, he pulled the boy in, swept his feet off balance, and tossed him over a distance of 20 feet.

Robin landed on the ground and bounced off, successfully landing on his feet. He took out a bunch of explosive, freeze, and electric discs.

The man whistled at the impressive display of arsenals.

"Though, you're not going to do much with those."

Robin flung them sequentially but almost all at the same time.

BOOM! ZAP! BIN!

Electricity and explosions filled the entire area, and after the smoke cleared, a huge patch of ice was seen.

Robin took out his bo-staff, extended it, and leapt up into the air. He struck at the man, who had dug his fingers into the building's walls to avoid the discs.

He blocked the attack with his combat glove covered hand, and sneered. "Che, and I thought you couldn't keep up."

He was answered by a clean blow to the skull, followed by a swift kick to the torso, and finally propelled to the ground by another smack with the staff.

WHOMP!!!

"That hurts." He said as he lay on the ground. His red eye shined again.

"Raaah!!!" Robin gave a war cry and came straight down at the fallen opponent, bo-staff held above his head.

The man stood quickly, and readied his right arm. As Robin's bo-staff struck down, he used his right arm to allow the staff to get close before he shifted his arm's position and made the staff slide to the side. His left hand then quickly caught the end of the staff, giving him the leverage now.

He pulled the staff towards him, which caused Robin to be pulled in as well. With his right hand still free, he gave a hard punch to Robin's torso, and the Boy Wonder flew back into the sky.

Following this attack, the man dropped the staff and jumped up along the teen, and kicked him back towards the ground.

POW!!!

Robin began the hard task of getting back up.

The man landed and watched in amusement at the struggle.

"I'd stay down, don't want to break anything worthwhile, now do we?"

Robin just panted and gradually stood to a fighting stance, but his knees buckled and so he landed against the ground with his hands supporting his body. The man chuckled.

"You're...... that man's protégé....aren't you?" He suddenly asked, with his smile faded.

"Hah.......hah..........gah....." Robin panted, with both palms against the ground.

"Hahahahaha!!! Rather unfitting! But who am I to judge? You children these days are nuts anyways!" He took a step towards the teen.

With sudden vigor, Robin charged at the man again, and did a flip kick, which he still caught.

"Good technique, but not perfect." Robin's eyes widened, pulled his upper body up in that upside down position, and punched him in the face.

WHAM!

He stammered backwards, head propelled backwards, and then smirked. "Did I say something offensive?"

"Aarrrrrgghh!!!" Robin shouted as he did a flying kick.

WHAM!!

The man flew into a wall, his head and body limb. Robin growled as the man lifted his head to grin. The red eye shined tauntingly.

"Yah!!!" The Boy Wonder jumped, giving himself height to perform the deadly heel drop.

Catching the attack at the last moment, the man slammed the boy on the ground, creating big cracks.

Robin laid on the ground, but was visibly still trying to get back up. However, the injuries and strains were too great, it was just like how he was after the incident two days ago.

The man walked over, and knelt by Robin. "You're interesting, kid. I like it. You're vicious and impulsive."

His red eye glowed and Robin bore his teeth. The man frowned.

"Che, you're just confused. Blinded by hate and rage, and here I thought it was innate." He paused.

"Though I do feel some harsh battle lingo....hehehehehehehe." He chuckled.

"What are you afraid of, huh?"

Robin clenched his fist.

"The power of darkness is seeded within you, I can feel it."

Robin huffed and puffed harsh breaths of air.

"But you seem to have forgotten something........something important." He frowned.

"I don't like confused people, they're hard to deal with, and weaker." He crouched closer.

"Just what are your problems? You're that man's protégé, aren't you, Robin?"

Robin seemed to be affected by this, for his frown disappeared and his eyes showed confusion.

"Hehehehehehahahahahahahaha!!! Maybe I should have a little look inside." His left eye glowed again.

"_Robin! Where are you! Please respond!" _Starfire's voice shouted from Robin's communicator.

The man frowned, then smiled. "Next time, then. We **will **meet again, Robin, Boy Wonder." He stood straight.

"Your friends will be worried about you, che, and it isn't going to be easy for you as well." He grinned. "Not when I'm around."

He began walking away, slowly fading into the darkness of the alleys. "Oh." He stopped.

"Remember this name, my name, Kahn. You'll be hearing it soon enough. It's been nice beating you, but I have business to attend to. Wahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.......!" And the man now known as Kahn was gone.

Robin laid on the ground, brooding. The source of infernal fury was gone, and the boy's spirit suddenly relaxed, though his thoughts were still haunted.

He never lost consciousness, and remained aware of his surroundings. He had clicked on an indicator button on his communicator, allowing the Titans to see his location on the map, and then just waited.

He had lost again, now to someone who came out of nowhere. But oddly enough, the man known as Khan had struck some hard notes on the Boy Wonder's frustration.

He had forgotten something? What was that mad man talking about? Did he know about his time in Gotham? Why did he attack someone who just showed up, who didn't even seem to be doing anything wrong? That red eye, what was it? He felt the lost of control when he saw it. He saw Slade's abominable eye in that bloody glow, and other images long forgotten......

Was that what he forgot? Those memories...... he didn't know, and he didn't want to know.

Robin turned his head to look at his right hand, dusty and bloody. He clenched it, and bore his teeth again.

---

* * *

**Closing notes**: Darkness consumes everyone once in awhile, and now, it's Robin's turn to feel the horrid feeling of it. So, there's the new character, and the plot thickens, at least I think it does. Anyhoo, Robin was slightly OOC, perhaps, though it's because he's still haunted.


	5. Frailty pt 4

**A. Note**: This is where things start to get weird, but just bear with it. And sorry for the delayed updates, but I had to make sure things were good. Also, I won't be having much notes in the next couple of chapters, so cherish this one. I like donuts, there.

Standard disclaimer of ownership and properties apply readily.

--**TT**

Chapter 4

--

The ride in the T-car was silent. Neither of the pair had said anything since they got into the vehicle.

But although neither of the two spoke, there was a lot of thinking and ponderings.

For Raven, it would be rebuking herself for her own behavior earlier that was totally out of character.

For Cyborg, it would be the frustration that involved the absolutely complex species that was women, and some concern for the aggravating danger with a name attached: Loki.

Cyborg felt both unnerved by the recent relay of bad events, and the thick tension before between Jinx, Raven, and himself. All of the happenings in the tower seemed to have led up to this unsound circumstance.

Try as he might, he couldn't really decrypt the situation Jinx had described. If the mess was something that the H.I.V.E. was eager to bail out of, just what could it involve? Heck, the H.I.V.E. was even willing to fulfill their contract with Slade to the best of their skills, though they all failed in the end.

By logical standards, if the job/mission was so big, then the payment would also be a sight to behold. Brother Blood and whoever else led to academy definitely would have liked the money. From what Cyborg remembered, those nice operators and equipments most likely didn't come from charity donations.

Thinking about the possibilities of an organization that could threaten the entire city AND the H.I.V.E. was scary, and unfruitful, he believed. Well, thinking about being destroyed is always a kick in the nuts, but the point was that negative thinking definitely cannot help.

Deciding to consult with the other Titans about this matter later, Cyborg then focused his mind and processing skills on the girl with violet hair, and the girl with pink hair.

Now, Raven was creepy, somber, even more creepy, mysterious, and at some times more homicidal than Jeffrey Dahmer. The girl was in some people's definition, a witch, or a wiccan, whichever made the most fitting profile for her.

But she was special, odd, and unnatural. And as Cyborg said before, that was the most natural part of being unnatural. She was witty, sarcastic, but caring in her own sadistic and aggravating way.

But what he soon realized, though, was that he didn't know much about her, probably no more than he knew Robin. Not even after being teleported into her mind, getting freaked out, seeing all her different personalities in individual forms, and fighting a large demon that is supposedly her father.

He shuddered.

The experience certainly made issues regarding Raven's emotions much more understandable at some times, but the fact remained that the girl only became more of a mystery, to him at least.

It is even much more the same with Jinx. During the time he spent undercover in the H.I.V.E., Jinx had been amiable, though very impish and.......well, creepy, but the two almost had a genuine friendship.

Cyborg almost felt guilty, he had in sense felt he had betrayed Jinx, however ridiculous that sounded. But he was a hero, on the side of good, and she was a villain, on the side of evil. That was the only way he could fathom the frustrating situation, and feel confident to his own resolve.

The two couldn't be friends. There was no room for the black to be mixed with the white.

"Son of a....." Cyborg muttered, just voicing his irksome state through randomly cussing.

-----

Raven hated a lot of things, that in itself is no surprise, but she had a center focus for that abominable feeling right now.

Jinx was on pretty much on the top of Raven's 'to kill list'. First, the girl attacked her and her friends in an ambush. Second, she had the gale to say she fought like a boy. Third, she had entered her room, one of the most sacrilegious sins of mankind. And now, she was the bearer of bad news.

Raven was also mad at herself. She had almost lost control again. Threatening to kill everyone in the area wasn't too out of character, but getting mad because of Jinx's suspicious banter with Cyborg was.

She irked at the thought of what Cyborg could have done during his undercover mission in the H.I.V.E., after all, he had only told them about the more comical parts of it, which is why they had reenacted an initiation.

She wanted to chuckle when she remembered how Cyborg was forced to put the pink dress on, and pose for a whole minute, getting pictures taken of him even after he told them to stop. The Titans didn't have as much fun since then.

But that amusement was instantly erased when she thought about how Jinx probably had assumed a major part in Cyborg's initiation in the H.I.V.E. She really despised contesting to emotions. They were confusing, pointless, annoying, aggravating, and difficult, plus it was dangerous for her.

Thinking about the despicable Barbie doll made Raven even more irate, and she had to consciously subdue that urge. But she couldn't prevent the word that needed to escape from her mouth.

-----

"......bitch."

Coincidentally, she had finished Cyborg's sentence.

The two looked at each other.

"..........................."

Cyborg fidgeted a bit.

Raven raised an eyebrow.

Cyborg stole small glances.

".....................what?" Raven finally asked.

Cyborg didn't think it was a bright idea, but spoke anyways.

"Just thinking about how ridiculously and shitty this whole week's going."

Raven pulled her hood down. "You mean this intricate headache with the possibility of future total chaos and mayhem? Or about wiggy?"

Now, Cyborg didn't think she'd keep on trying to kill him, and decided that the previous silence was much more enjoyable. He also made a mental note to keep his mouth shut whenever Raven appears vexed.

"I'm thinking about this 'Loki', of course. Would you just drop it? What's the deal, Rae? You need to chill, girl." He answered, obviously annoyed.

"And I think you need to reevaluate your taste in women."

"Wha-wha-what!?" Cyborg exclaimed, and swirled to avoid a fire hydrant. He turned to the girl.

"Raven, did you just say what I think you just said?! You don't seriously think-"

"That you got a school girl crush on a Barbie doll? Of course not, she's not even a car."

Cyborg usually liked her sarcasms, but right now, he wished to kill whoever invented the theme of 'sarcasm'.

"I don't know how you came to such a stupid hypothesis, Rae, but I don't have a crush on Jinx."

Raven glared at him. "Well, fancy that."

Cyborg sighed. "Look, I don't know what you're thinking-"

"You're right." Raven interrupted. Cyborg grunted.

"ing, ing, ing." He repeated, trying to keep his sentence in place. "But Jinx and I have nothing going on. Besides, what's it to you?"

Raven folded her arms. "Just the fact that even being emotionally involved with someone is ludicrous, and being involved with a villain is preposterous."

"I AM NOT going to be involved with Jinx, and if you haven't realized, we have a more serious crisis to be contend with."

Raven knew she couldn't argue with that. Cyborg's little dilemma with the village witch would have to wait.

Both teens suddenly remembered what they should have done.

"Ahhhh, dammit." Cyborg grumbled as he dialed to Robin's communicator, only to receive static and a signal on a map.

"Huh? Oh, man. Not good." Raven looked at the image of the city map and the locator signal. Knowing what it might mean, she immediately used her communicator to contact Beast Boy.

"Beast Boy, come in."

_Psssssssssss._ _"Raven!!! Right on time!!! Oh! Thank you!! Thank you!! Thank you!!" _Beast Boy's panicked face appeared from the communicator.

"...........what happened to you?"

"_That lousy jerk sprayed me with some kind of glue! He messed up my beautiful hair!" _

".....right, where's the said jerk?"

Beast Boy looked worried. _"He's ummmm, let's just say he's not really magical anymore."_

"Huh? What happened, BB? What happened?" Cyborg asked, stretching his neck to look at the communicator.

"_We're......having some major bongos here, guys. Robin just got his ass kicked."_

"What!?" Cyborg cried.

Raven touched her forehead. "No......" she mumbled.

"How in the hells did Mumbo beat Robin!? There's just no way, man!!!" Cyborg yelled.

"_Dude! It's not Mumbo, 'cause he's lying half dead on the streets! And I'm looking right at him now!! And I think that's his teeth!!"_

"Huh!?" Raven and Cyborg both exclaimed.

"_Yeah! Somebody really messed up Robin, Mumbo Jumbo too! The entire block's like after Mardi Gra! There's like pieces of concretes and what's left of the new burger restaurant! Good riddance to that!!" _

Cyborg couldn't believe what he was hearing. There just wasn't any good news at all lately, and he suddenly felt like a sergeant in the army being told that his platoon just got wiped out.

"Calm down, Beast Boy. Take a few breaths." Raven counseled, noticing the pained look on Cyborg's face.

Beast Boy followed her advice and willed himself to simmer down.

"Now, where's Starfire?"

"_She's taking care of Robin right now. She got here before me, since I had to scrub all the nasty crap off me first. And it wasn't easy!!"_

"How badly is Robin hurt, Beast Boy? Do we need to get Fixit?" Raven asked this time.

"_Ummmmm he actually seems fine......but ......" _Beast Boy's image showed him turning his head to look at something.

"_Can you get Fixit to come over, anyways?"_

"Why?" Cyborg asked, now slightly relieved that the Boy Wonder was possibly all right.

"......_I think it would be safer, w-with more people around, you know..." _

Raven thought Beast Boy was just concerned about the fact that someone actually defeated Robin, well, she was concerned too, but it wasn't the end of the world.

Raven spoke. "We can't allow other people to be involved in danger easily, Beast Boy, especially if we can help ourselves. We'll handle this new menace ourselves."

"..._yeah, this menace, right...ummm......I guess..." _

"We have the coordinates, we'll be right there." Cyborg concentrated on driving.

Raven decided to close the communication for now.

"Help Starfire take care of Robin, Beast Boy. And see if you can help Mumbo if it's convenient. I'll notify the police and ambulance. Over and out."

Psssssss!

Cyborg's gritted his teeth. "Arrrrrggghhh!!! Great! Just freaking great!!!" He shifted the vehicle into high gear, and sped off.

-------------------

When Starfire had arrived at Robin's location, Robin had already gotten to a sitting position in the middle of the road.

She immediately flew to his side, frantically, and upon inquiring upon his condition, received only mumbles and coughs. When she asked him what had happened, Robin's eyes suddenly became murderous, and she almost backed away.

Those eyes were the same ones he viciously displayed to her when he grabbed her arm in the rain.

But he immediately winced and simmered when his arms began to feel throbbing pain. Dismissing any other thoughts, Starfire tried to help the boy. But there really wasn't much she could do, so she just helped him get into a safer place and position on the sidewalk.

Beast Boy arrived later, and basically panicked the same way Starfire did, when he saw Robin in his tattered condition with a worried Starfire by his side.

He noted that the area of the street was rather roughed up, by explosions and iron fists by the first look of it. Also, there was a large patch of ice that pretty much ruined three cars. Nice ones too.

Beast Boy then talked, or screamed, to Starfire and Robin, asking them what had happened and received no definite answer anyways. Starfire was a little too overwhelmed by the previous encounter with a rather demonic presence and the situation to be coherent. Robin was not in the condition or the mood to be explaining or chatting about what probably kicked his ass.

_Definitely not in the mood for chatting_, Beast Boy had thought.

When he saw Robin, he felt his animal instincts pick up and tuned to danger. It was like a catfish sensing an earthquake; a mouse facing a rabid snake fiend; flocks of birds flying off to avoid a tornado. He suddenly didn't like the notion of going near his friend and leader.

It was then he saw Mumbo's limb form on the other side of the street.

Apparently, the old man was fortunate enough to be unharmed from the fight between Robin and Kahn. But he was still beaten and battered, and Beast Boy found that perplexing, as well as a few teeth lying about.

Beast Boy had surmised from the appearance of the situation that some evil fighting machine like Bizzaro showed up, beat the living hell out of Mumbo, and trashed the entire street when fighting Robin.

He was at least half right.

Very uncertain and panic-stricken, Beast Boy wanted to rip his hair out, which got his hand tangled in his hair. That was when Raven's most merciful call came.

After talking to his two friends, Beast Boy quickly ran over to Starfire, and replayed whatever information he discussed with Cyborg and Raven.

Delighted that some help would arrive, Starfire's face showed immense relief and hope. Her attention went straight back to Robin when he grunted something incoherent.

Disregarding the two for the moment, Beast Boy ran over to Mumbo and checked him over, seeing if he was alive.

The old man was definitely alive, but blood and bruises covered him. His white polo shirt and overalls had small amounts of drool on it too. Beast Boy felt a little sick, and waited for either the police or Cyborg with Raven to arrive.

-----

"Robin........." Starfire cooed, kneeling besides the boy, holding his shoulder.

_Not again_, she thought. Robin had finally regained some sense of the humanity and sanctity he once possessed, and now there was a great chance that he would revert back into the obsessive, boorish boy who had hurt her, intentionally or not.

His eyes showed the determination of a provoked spirit, one who was on the brink of rage. Starfire had seen the same eyes on some of the warriors on Tamaran, and those warriors did not end up having a good life. Although Robin could barely move, she knew his senses were conscious and acute, just not his mind, for he had yet to respond to either her or Beast Boy.

Starfire knew she needed to qualm that fury, that drive that might eventually destroy him. Robin was her best friend, and she refused to watch him be destroyed, not by anyone, especially not by himself.

Robin suddenly looked at Starfire, with an expression as if he just noticed her existence.

"Robin!? Are you unwell?! Please hold on! Cyborg and Raven shall be here shortly!!" Starfire reacted, mistakenly thinking that the boy was gasping from pain.

"......I'm fine, Star." He said with his voice hoarse, and coughed. Starfire was further concerned, as is her nature. She rubbed his back, which he did whenever she coughed from being uncomfortable.

Robin exhaled and inhaled some more, and finally felt comfortable. Turning to look at the Tamaranian girl, he blinked.

"You're a godsend, do you know that?"

Starfire beamed.

She felt as if huge boulders of worry were alleviated from her shoulders when Robin had lost the perilous gleam in his eyes, and spoke with the familiar friendly voice she was accustomed to.

"Oh, Robin...... I am elated to see that you are well." She knew she wanted to hug the boy right then and there, but refrained herself as killing him wasn't her priority.

"......yeah. Me too."

Robin closed his eyes slightly, feeling the lack of energy surge through his body ever since his fight with Kahn. He could still hear the voices of his subconscious, the words of Slade, and the new infiltration of Kahn's cryptic jives.

But right now, rest sounded like the plan of the millennium. He didn't have much of any feeling in his body anymore, and decided that maybe the same should go for his head as well.

Robin dozed off, and Starfire held his body closer to her.

This wasn't exactly usual, as Robin almost never got beaten, at least not like how he was now. Also, the two usually didn't have to wait in a certain place like stranded tourists. So the feeling of holding her best friend while he was almost unconscious felt foreign to her. But it was nice, extremely nice.

She didn't know what kind of emotion she was experiencing, but it was warm, cozy. Each time Robin breathed, she found herself watching, gazing, and adoring. Robin's head rolled slightly and rested on her shoulder, which caused her to blush slightly.

When Beast Boy finally decided to move Mumbo, Cyborg driving the T-car like a maniac also showed up.

When Cyborg and Raven came running and shouting to them, Starfire felt like a child caught red handed with her hand in the cookie jar, and accidentally allowed Robin to fall to the ground.

"Eeeepp!" Starfire squealed as she saw Robin lying on the ground, and moaning.

"......owww..... what the?" Starfire held him up again.

"I apologize! I did not mean to-are you injured?" She frantically tried to form an apology.

Raven knelt by the two while Cyborg gave a quick but thorough scan of Robin's injuries.

"Robin, can you hear me?" Raven questioned.

"Ahhh....Raven? How'd the mission with the H.I.V.E. go?"

Raven allowed a small smile. "Typical. Even in this condition you still think about missions."

Robin grunted, and fell back into his passive state. Beast Boy came running by, after dropping Mumbo on the side of the street.

"Scanner says the man's just fine. He's just got some bruises and in need of a lot of lying down." Cyborg reported.

"Which I can fix." Raven began to concentrate her powers for empathetic healing.

A siren blared from far away.

"Looks like the authorities are here." Beast Boy observed, and looked at the group questioningly, hoping for a quick decision.

"Friends, let us return Robin back to the tower. I do not wish for the police to upset his condition further." Starfire exclaimed.

Cyborg nodded. "Right. We'll explain and tell each other sailor tales after we get back to the tower. Don't want anyone to see our leader in tatters now, do we?" He said that in a slightly joking manner.

Robin thought he flinched, which he did, just not physically.

"What about old overalls back there?" Beast Boy asked, though he didn't really care. The man did make a mess of his hair.

"The police will take care of Mumbo, let's just go. We'll tell them what might've happened after Robin heals. That's our priority." Raven said as she hastily walked back towards the T-car.

It was not exactly a smart move, Cyborg knew, but they couldn't delay too long.

"I call shotgun!!" Beast Boy yelled as he ran over.

"Easy there, man." Cyborg said as he and Starfire both aided Robin's entry into the backseat of the vehicle.

Raven had, as usual, sat in the passenger's seat, buckling up as Beast Boy turned into a feline and sat near her lap, so there would be more room for Robin and Starfire in the back.

Starfire supported Robin's body as he was laid down, and placed his head, after much deliberation, on her lap.

Putting pedal to the metal, Cyborg drove off, back to their home.

-------------------

-------------------

Dark and gloomy was this place, though if one had the eyes of a feline, one could plainly see that the interior decorations were sensible and professional. The house, if it was indeed one, apparently honed on the theme of melancholy and sadness. Walls and curtains reflected the colors of baby blues and pale violets, along with floors and ceilings of painted grey. A chandelier hung in the middle of a large room, making the appearance of a large, white, empty ballroom.

The dinning room was dingy and smirched, as if no one had lived there for a period of time, which would also explain the lack of electric power in the residence. Cobwebs and insects crawled freely, and one could feel the chills spread across the sight.

The point of creepiness came when the screen shows the paintings and portraits on the wall. They were of skeletons wearing tuxedos or fashionable dresses, ordained by appealing jewelries such as necklaces and earrings. In all respect, the images fitted the saying 'wasted on the dead'. None of the canvases had the names of the artist or of the topic. No, it was there once, but are all smeared out now.

All of these qualities accumulated into a dreadful unnerving feeling.

No, no. The most unnerving aspect was the fact that silence was the loudest characteristic, an oxymoron that makes people chaff within their very skin.

A staircase leads to the second floor.

Immediately to the hallway on the right, there is a library, filled with the various books and structured like what people might find in clichéd palaces such as _Beauty and the Beast_.

The hallway that led to the library also becomes a corridor and leads to the master bedroom, which has one of the most overly adorned doors most people have ever seen or will ever see. Sculpted lions, tigers, gargoyles, and dragons were scattered on that door, each animal and mystical creature were in the motion of roaring or shrieking.

Beyond the door, inside the commodious bedroom, a woman sits on a chair near the edge of a window, her elbow rested on the ledge and her palm supported her head as she gazed outside that window.

The woman would have been called beautiful easily. Her features were delicate and eye-catching, and she projected a feeling of mystics. She wore a seemingly oversized nightgown that at some point, seemed to have moved on its own accord. Her hair was pale blonde, and her eyes were a pristine blue, which were now half closed, as if she was day dreaming.

Her eyes began moving around, and rested on a flower in a small vase next to her on the ledge. She eyed it several moments before picking it up, and smelled it.

No sniffing noise was produced.

She sniffed the flower twice, before she closed her eyes completely, and held the flower close to her mouth.

She bit off the pedals, and smiled as she chewed them.

------------------

------------------

WOOOOOON.....!

Raven was in the process of her empathic healing on Robin, who sat still with his eyes closed, basking in the assuaging feeling of restoration.

Starfire was floating nearby and watched the boy closely, unwilling the leave the immediate area until she was certain that the Boy Wonder was in good health.

Beast Boy and Cyborg had grabbed some chow and were chewing and slurping noisily, causing slight annoyance to the healer at the moment.

Nearing a finish, and getting tired, Raven began to stop.

"There, that should make you feel homely."

Robin opened his eyes and tried to raise his right hand. Finding that he could, Robin stretched it a bit, and stared at his palm for a few moments.

Raven watched her leader during his silent brooding. The dangerous sensation she felt from him during the previous days was gone, and she was more than glad for it. Still, she felt the need to watch him carefully.

"You're welcome." She suddenly said.

Robin looked up, alert. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, I mean, thanks."

Raven crossed her arms, observing him as he went about brooding and thinking. She was extremely curious to what his thoughts were about.

Starfire floated over. "You have recovered, Robin?"

"Yeah, I think I'm all right now." Robin answered, still not looking at anyone.

Starfire frowned, noticing the serpentine passiveness the teen was exerting.

"Sho, fwat nmoew?" Beast Boy asked, through a mouth full of tofu treats, and spraying it everywhere.

Raven could feel a vein throbbing on her forehead.

"BB said: So what now?" Cyborg translated, and munched on his hotdog, which earned a dirty look from Beast Boy.

"Nmferurer." He muttered under his breath, still chewing irksomely.

Raven knew what was on everyone's mind: who or what the hell handed Robin's ass on a silver platter? Well, that was probably Cyborg's version of the question.

Cyborg and Beast Boy just chomped on their food, trying to be patient, though Beast Boy shifted his feet constantly.

Starfire certainly was concerned and curious of the Boy Wonder's defeat, again. She wondered how he was taking the defeat. He never took defeat easily, it was just in his nature.

She, on the other hand, knew how to take defeat and failure in stride. Once living with Blackfire certainly made the feeling of inferiority a daily routine.

The Tamaranian girl watched as Robin was staring off into whatever world he barred from his friends from, and once again felt that abhorred hapless intensity whenever Robin was overly obsessed with beating the bad guy, namely Slade.

Robin finally spoke, still staring at his hand. "What do you have to report for the encounter with the H.I.V.E.?"

"Dude! You should've seen me! I was like dishing out sonic blasts everywhere! Those H.I.V.E. newbies didn't stand a chance!" He spewed hotdog pieces as he talked.

"I was like the lord of whoop ass! Oh, yeah Raven helped a bit."

Raven huffed and blew a strand of hair away from her face, and stared at the android accusingly.

".....I mean, she managed to be a good distraction for me to take out the pansies......"

Raven never lost the incriminating expression.

"...........yeah, well she took care of one or two....."

She folded her arms.

"..........she kicked ass! Okay!? C'mon, give me some glory here!!!" Raven shook her head, as if disappointed.

"Fwhahahwhajaba!!! Ghu fghot jizsed!!!" Beast Boy laughed, tofu chunks flying.

"Eeeek! Beast Boy, please chew responsibly and close your mouth!!!" Starfire dodged the said tofu chunks.

"Funny, this coming from a person who eats like the Vikings." Raven commented.

"Pardon me?"

Robin remained calm, though he usually would be trying to tame the team by now, or at least scold them like a coach would. In actuality, that's what the rest of the team wished for him to do, to stop the quarreling, to be the fearless leader, to be the serious and responsible one.

Robin continued to stare into his palm, while clenching it and unclenching it.

"..ha...haha.......aahhh......." Beast Boy stopped laughing, and also stopped chewing.

".................."

Cyborg looked at Raven, who didn't seem inclined to speak. Actually, she wanted him to tell his version of it.

Cyborg sighed, and then took a breath.

"Robin, Jinx showed up."

He didn't know whether to cheer or frown when the Boy Wonder put his hand down and raised an eye.

"She didn't caught you off guard, did she?" He asked, wondering if there was indeed an ambush.

Cyborg shook his head. "She kinda came for a different reason."

".............which is?"

"She gave us some really bad warnings. Apparently, the H.I.V.E. was there at the SCR Grand Central Station for some information retrieval. On a mission for some freaky employer, who probably isn't looking for some insider info on the stock market."

--------------------

--------------------

She dropped the remaining parts of the flower, the corolla, out the window, and watched as it fell to the ground below. A dark, and murky ground.

The woman felt the presence of another, and turned her head to inspect the room.

She saw a man, kneeling on one knee on the floor behind her, with his head down. The man's arm was placed in a line position and in front of his head, palm up. The typical position to assume when greeting a monarch royalty.

The woman stared at the man, and the man waited in his kneeling position, patiently. The man got in through the door, naturally, but the woman didn't hear, simply because the house did not allow any sounds to be produced.

She finally opened her mouth, and astoundingly spoke. "You may stand, Albert."

She spoke in a soft voice, but it sounded as if Godzilla was there, because her voice was the only vibration in the air in the entire house. But it was melodic, like the harmonious tone of a sweet young lady.

'Albert' didn't seem affected by the woman's voice, and now spoke as well. "I thank you, mistress." His voice was deep and soothing, like an amiable grandfather.

The man stood, with his hands now crossed behind his back. He had the appearance of a British butler, with a monocle, a dark vest over a white dress shirt and matching pants, a blood red tie, Mephisto brand shoes, and a pair of silky white gloves.

His hair was black with some strands of white and grey mixed, indicating an estimated age of over fifty.

The woman got off the chair and walked to her king sized bed, which was entirely pink. Pillows, sheets, laces, everything, all pink, a great contrast with the rest of the house.

After she settled herself on the pink bed, she directed her attention to the butler again.

"What is it that you wish to inform me?"

"Mistress, there has been some manners of delay and difficulties. The organization known as the H.I.V.E., has gone against the contract they have signed with your grace."

She didn't look surprised. "Oh? And in what manner have they gone against the contract?"

"They have aborted the proceedings of the missions, and most of them have now disappeared. Whereabouts are as of yet unknown."

She placed a finger on her chin, and sighed. "It seems this Brother Blood has lost his relish for good escapades. What a shame."

Albert placed his monocle in his shirt pocket.

"What are your orders, my mistress?"

--------------------

--------------------

"Whatever the deal was, Jinx said the entire H.I.V.E. bailed. They've gone against the contract and took the coward's way out. She was there to tell the rookie agents to abort."

"She could be lying, you know." Beast Boy interjected.

Raven stepped in. "I was there, remember? Jinx wasn't mind controlled, or lying, about **anything**." She directed the last word at Cyborg.

Cyborg wanted to ignore it, but he couldn't help but groan a bit.

Starfire and Beast Boy blinked.

"You're telling me that the H.I.V.E. actually aborted a mission?" Robin asked.

"Not just any mission," Cyborg explained, "Jinx said it was huge, colossal. She even told us to clear out of the city. Said it was too dangerous if we get dragged in."

Robin's look told Cyborg that he also thought that was crazy.

"Yep, pretty much the same thought."

"Why would the criminal organization H.I.V.E. wish to relinquish a chance for a mission of such proportions? Perhaps the reward was not substantially satisfying." Starfire asked and suggested, floating closer to the discussion.

"The more important question is: what kind of plan is it that it can make Brother Blood feel weak in the stomach." Robin placed a hand under his chin, in the typical thinker position.

"Thought about it too, but we don't have enough information to make a hunch. Except for one thing, Jinx gave us a name."

"What is it?"

"Loki."

--------------------

--------------------

The woman pondered a bit, thinking while playing with her blonde, long hair.

"What suggestions do you have, Albert?"

Albert bowed slightly. "I am but your humble servant, my mistress, I have none to give."

The woman giggled. "Oh, Albert. You do not have to be so modest. I remember your outstanding performances in the old days, as you like to call it. Simply marvelous, full of strategic machinations and the debonair of a warrior. Please, tell me of your ideas."

"Your grace have given this old fool too much credit, I am without any other complaint." He stood tall again.

"As I see it, the H.I.V.E.'s cowardly disposition has actually saved your grace a notable amount of nuisances, for they would surely defy you if they were to know the full capacity of your glorious intentions."

"Ah, this is true. Speak on, Albert."

"Your grace merely needs to employ the most basic of your troops. They will, of course, extend your influence in the proceedings. Eventually, your grace will have the jewels and data in your possession."

"Ahhhhh.....perhaps this is how it should be, Albert. Proceed with the plans. Hopefully, there will be satisfying fruition."

Albert bowed. "It shall be as you ordered, Mistress Hel."

"Oh, and one more thing, Albert."

"Yes, my mistress?"

"Tell my cohort, that sinister crumb to stay his ground. I have felt his prowling of the city today, and I do not wish for him to be interfering with my plans."

Albert bowed. "I shall inform him, your grace."

The butler left the room properly, each step echoing within the room, bowing before he was entirely out of sight.

Hel smiled.

The entire house became silent again.

--------------------

--------------------

"Loki?" Robin repeated.

"I have heard of such a name," Strafire exclaimed, "it is the name of a deity in the Norse pantheon. A shape shifter, much liken to Beast Boy's abilities, though it is said that he has only assumed the forms of horses, falcons, and the insects known as flies."

Cyborg and Beast Boy blinked.

"How'd you know that, Star? And I thought **you** were the alien!"

The girl grinned proudly. "Raven has many interesting and rare books!"

"And apparently, Starfire has taken upon herself to read all of them, because I haven't read anything on Norse pantheon." Raven said, slightly annoyed from the memory of Starfire constantly pestering her for more literature.

"This is important, this could be our lead." Robin suddenly said. "Go on, Starfire, is there anything else?"

"Allow me to process my memories." Starfire thought for a bit. "Ah! The deity Loki was said to be the murderer of the deity of light, Balder. And the name of his spouse was Angrboda, who has bore him three children."

"Ane-ger-bo-da? That's a screwy name." Beast Boy complained.

"So..... we're dealing with Swedish gods or something? 'Cause that'd make sense about what Jinx said about the H.I.V.E. bailing."

Raven walked over. "It could mean anything: a name, a term, a code, or even an abbreviation. We can't jump to conclusions, we need more information."

Robin had by this time already began typing and searching on the internet.

"Nothing." He declared. "There's only websites about Norse mythology and some junk projects about programs and rockets. And the information on Loki is more or less covered by Starfire already."

Not that he actually thought he could find anything.

Cyborg scratched his head. "So.....what? We're going to give up?"

Robin glared at the computer, since he wasn't facing them. "**Never, I'll never give up**."

Beast Boy frowned. "Dude, don't you mean, 'we'll' never give up?"

Robin turned to look at him. "Right, what'd I say?"

"...........ummm nothing."

Starfire was now itching to go back to her room and retrieve something.

Raven stared at the Boy Wonder, whose face frowned incredibly and fists clenched.

"Robin, who attacked you? It could be a lead." Raven asked, and everyone flinched, almost certain there would be an outburst. Especially Beast Boy, who had in the last few hours, remained conscious to the feeling of disaster.

Robin didn't seem to be affected. "He said his name was Kahn."

"Uuuhhh......" Cyborg and Beast Boy exclaimed, surprised that the fearless leader was being rather casual about the whole thing.

"Kahn? Not a very uncommon name." Raven commented.

"Robin, can you tell us what has happened, after you pursued the Mumbo? What was this evil man's appearance?" Starfire asked, hands at her side.

Robin sat back down.

"_You're interesting kid, you're vicious and impulsive."_

"_What are you afraid of, huh?" _

"_But you seem to have forgotten something......something important."_

"_I don't like confused people, they're hard to deal with, and weaker." _

He clenched his fist.

"Robin...." Starfire called to him.

The boy looked at the girl, and calmed down.

"He looked about over twenty, long hair, tanned skin. Wore some nut job outfit, looked like bandages, and some boots and gloves."

He had described Kahn's more uninteresting features all at once, simply because he didn't care for those.

"But that's not what was peculiar. His left eye, it was red."

Raven suddenly flinched, no one noticed.

"I'm thinking it might be mechanical, though I'm not entirely sure right now."

Cyborg nodded. "Could be, I'm betting that I'm not the only part-machine entity in the world, Fixit proves that."

"So.....this dude might be like the evil henchman of this creepy new group of evil regime?" Beast Boy suggested.

"Not entirely impossible. He did show up to clobber Mumbo on the same day the H.I.V.E. started their missions."

Robin gasped. No one missed it.

"...............Robin." Starfire stated.

Robin ignored her and spoke.

"We'll search and ask for police assistance on this case. If this Kahn was a criminal in any other area of the world, the police should have access to such files and information. Otherwise, we can see if there are any other types of disturbances that could relate to this 'Loki' business, whatever it could mean."

"Right, let's get on it!" Beast Boy shouted, invigorated.

Raven sighed. "At 10:30 p.m.?" She was feeling edgy, anxious to get into her room.

Beast Boy saw the black sky and shrouding clouds.

"Whoa.... time flies even when you're not having fun."

"We'll do this tomorrow. Let's gets some rest." Robin finalized.

Cyborg crossed his arms and looked at him suspiciously. "You're not going to be all workaholic about this after we go take snoozes are you?"

Everyone else seemed to be thinking the same question.

Robin sighed. "No, I won't, Cyborg, I promise."

The others seemed to be fine with it, though Cyborg looked skeptical, and they all went about preparing whatever they wished to do before bedtime, which would usually involve Cyborg and Beast Boy tackling each other in another game of 'Cyber Gladiators' or something. But right now, they were all too wary and concerned to be doing something that must include the elements of joy.

Robin sat on the couch for a few moments, waiting for everyone to exit the room.

Once the room was empty, he began staggering to the bathroom, feeling the need to wash his face and escape from the sense of stability.

Starfire flew back into the room, holding some sort of fabric made item.

"Robin," she called, smiling, and whirled in front of the boy, "before you endow yourself with the freshly feeling of cleansing, I wish to bestow you this Sil'nar."

Robin observed the item in her arms and said the first thing that came to his mind.

"Is that a poncho?"

The cloak-like Sil'nar certainly had the characteristics of a poncho. There was a hole in the middle of the blanket form, and it was probably worn the same way.

She looked at the cloth before she replied. "It is called the Sil'nar, it is a symbol on my home planet." She held the cloth out more for the boy to see.

The cloth was striped with the colors of blue, violet, cyan, and some emerald. There was no specific pattern to be followed, instead, there were patched and sewed designs of stars, planets, and nebulas. It had appeared to be an outline of an entire galaxy.

"On Tamaran, these are worn by warriors during peacetime. It represents their probity and unity of the mind. A cleansing of the soul, to be rid of unneeded battle aggressions, when it is not required. It is usually fabricated mostly with Carlof'il hor'glob silks, but I have discovered there are similar fabrics harvested from silkworms on Earth."

Robin didn't know what to make of it. "It's great Star, but.....I'm not exactly a Tamaranian warrior."

Starfire's eyes showed sadness. "I understand......but Robin, I wish to present this Sil'nar to you, because you are one who needs of such an ornament."

Robin gazed at the girl.

"I am distressed, to see you in such a state of anxiety........Robin, you are my best friend," She said, in the exact same tone when Robin was in Slade's apprenticeship, "and I do not desire to watch you fall into turmoil."

Robin still said nothing. Starfire began getting nervous, but she would not falter.

Reaching out slightly, the Boy Wonder took hold of the Sil'nar, and for the first time since the day began, he smiled.

"I would feel honored."

Starfire beamed, just like she did before. "Hehehehehe, I am filled with the feeling of giddiness!" She gasped a bit, and got closer to the boy, which caused him to get a little aware.

"Huh, uh, Star?"

She just smiled, and placed her forehead on his.

Robin blinked, looking straight into the beautiful emerald eyes of the Tamaranian girl.

"Ye'gurl ef hisa ef co'mr yun postr'url glealanja pyo funra." She whispered.

Robin blinked more rapidly, and mumbled a 'huh?'

Starfire removed her forehead from his and smiled. "It is by the ritual to whisper the words of X'hal before a Re'nar is bestowed, and to connect the tranquility of the mind during such a ritual."

"I...ah...see. Um, what did it mean?" Robin asked, holding the Re'nar in his arms.

Starfire held her hands in prayer. "In earthen language, it means: _Serenity is the key to seeing the galaxy through the eyes of truth._"

Robin felt the Sil'nar, and indeed it was soft like silk, perhaps a reason it soothed people.

"Makes sense, though a bit clichéd." Starfire just smiled.

".....thanks a lot, Star." The Bow Wonder finally said, as he was unsure what else to say, and his desire to wash his face getting a little prominent.

"I welcome you." Starfire replied, and flew towards the entrance that led to the rooftop.

"I believe I will partake in the joyous serenity of the night before I return to my chambers," She explained, "please, Robin, rest well in this night."

"I will, Star. And, good night."

She cast the boy another glance and smirked before she flew onto to the rooftop, and soared through the sky.

Robin watched her fly out for a few moments before he entered the bathroom, and locked the automatic door.

------------------

Raven was in her room, searching through the many texts and books that filled her shelves. She must have gotten to muttering and grunted from the frustration because Cyborg knocked on her door.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Yo! Rae, you okay in there? Is there something wrong? Open up!"

Raven didn't know whether to tell him to go away or tell him what was on her mind. Trust wasn't something she wanted to give the teen right now, especially since she just remembered about Jinx.

But the situation was important, and since she couldn't exactly tell Robin, in his state of mind, she had to talk to Cyborg. She would usually tell Starfire about things like this, but the Tamaranian was too concerned over the Boy Wonder to pay attention. Beast Boy was just too hard for her to deal with.

SWOOOOOOOSH!!!

So, she opened the door, and saw Cyborg with a towel around his neck.

"Been working out a little in the gym, came down here to go to my room, and heard some hag-like grunts." He smirked a little, "What's up, girl!?"

Raven hesitated, but contemplated that it would be better to tell him.

"Robin said he was defeated by a man named Kahn, with a red left eye."

She stated, as if it were obvious, which was exactly not to Cyborg.

"Ummmm, and so upon hearing this, you decided that the books in your room are to blame?"

Raven noticed the scattered books and pages around the floor of her room.

"I was looking up on something, about that red eye."

"What about it? Like Robin said, it could be a mechanical replacement, integrated to his brain structures. It's not exactly the top scientific achievement."

Raven brooded. "I doubt it."

She walked into her room, and picked up a book. Cyborg appeared hesitant to follow her. Raven waved a hand to say it was all right, at least, this time.

"During my time in Azarath, I was educated in the teachings of the archives of Azarath. The priestesses there told me about an abominable relic that lies in the world of humans-"

"Ummm, Raven, I'm not sure if you know this, but I'm not exactly well versed in your background history. Hell, I don't even know about your family." Cyborg said, a little curiously. "But, from what you said, this Azarath place is like your home, right?"

"...........in sorts, though I'm never returning there."

"Huh? Why not, Raven? Don't you go back to see your family once in awhile?"

"I don't have a family. My mother died when I was young, and I was taken into the care of the granddaughter of Azar, until she passed away as well."

Cyborg looked a bit surprised. "Oh, man....I'm sorry, Raven-I, well, didn't know.......Rae...."

"It's nothing you should feel sorry about, it was just a phase in my life, as I'm sure is your life before you became Cyborg."

She wondered if she believed in her own words.

Cyborg watched the girl with sadness and uncertainty. "I suppose...."

Raven placed a few books back on the shelf.

"We're getting off the topic here. The relic, which lies in the corrupt human world, is said to be a powerful accumulation of magic, more or less dark magic. No one knows where it originated or where it is. The archives were also ambivalent and incomplete on the subject, and it's been a long time, so I don't even know what it's called."

"So, why are you thinking that this so-called relic is that red eye?" Cyborg asked, hoping the girl would admit a mistake.

"......when I was healing Robin with my empathic powers, I had trouble getting started."

"Getting started?"

"My healing abilities stem from purer magic, more or less the opposite of dark magic. I couldn't immediately begin the healing, which means there was some other force countering my powers."

"And so you think that this relic, or red eye thingy could be the source."

"More or less."

"..............I'm really starting to hate all this supernatural stuff."

Raven didn't agree or disagree, and resumed placing the books back on her shelves. Cyborg began helping.

"So, were you going to tell us any of this soon?" Cyborg asked, momentarily wondering if she had a specific order for these books.

"I didn't want Robin to hear about it yet, especially since I don't have evidence."

"...since we're talking about this red eye thing, do you think Rob will go nuts over this? I was kinda expecting it. Of course, I don't want him to..."

"I know." She cut him off, and sighed.

"To be honest, I don't know. He seemed calm and collective enough, though, perhaps that defeat did him some good."

Cyborg scratched his head. "Doesn't sound like how Robin would react after getting his ass handed to him."

"Remember, he didn't tell us anything beyond the man's appearance." Cyborg paused when Raven said this, and she continued.

"Robin seemed hesitant to speak about the entire encounter with Kahn, and simply diverted our attention to discussing the eye and his possible connection to our new menace."

Cyborg absorbed this and knew it to be true.

"I think that's how Robin handles things, his defense mechanism. He gets upset, he harbors it all inside him, and tries to overcome it by getting stronger. But during the process, he neglects everything else."

".......man, you really should get a job as a psychologist, we can use the extra cash."

"Whatever."

The android snickered. "Hehehehehe."

Silence.

Cyborg took a breath. "......about earlier today, I-"

"We're going to be busy tomorrow, go get some rest."

Cyborg sucked his words back in. "Oh, right. Okay, I'll, uh, see you in the morning."

"Good night."

"G'night, Rae."

SWOOOOOOOSH!!

Raven sat down on her bed. "Me too."

No one heard.

------------------

Beast hadn't felt like he needed to be in here for a long time, in Terra's room.

The Titans had kept her room the way it was, before her betrayal, as if it served as a memento of their dear departed friend.

Unbeknownst to the other Titans, Beast Boy would occasionally sneak in and just sit on the floor, thinking. It was sort of a sanctuary that the changeling forged, amongst all the joking and goofing around, he needed some quiet time alone as well.

Memories of their date on the night she betrayed them always came flooding back. He didn't know whether or not he liked those memories, but those were the best of what he remembered of the geomancer.

Beast Boy didn't know why he suddenly felt the urge to come into this room, but he didn't care right now. It was all right, like everything else was going to be, right?

He picked up the heart-shaped mirror box, and gazed at it longingly. But he couldn't bring himself to open it.

Beast Boy decided to visit the statue of Terra tomorrow, if there was any spare time.

------------------

Placing the Sil'nar on a towel rack, Robin turned the faucet water on to a warm temperature, then began desperately splashed and scrubbing off the filth, as if he was scrubbing off the sins he felt accumulating in him.

Hair and face dripping with water, he looked at himself in the mirror, and the haunting voices came back again.

_Excellent display of viciousness today, I knew you had it in you. _His reflection seemed to say.

"Arrrrghhh...." The teen growled, then his eyes drooped.

Robin had realized that when Cyborg spoke of Kahn, his friends had assumed the person who violently beaten Mumbo was the man with the red eye. In truth, Robin had forgotten about Mumbo Jumbo altogether. His entire focus was on Kahn and the arising apoplexy he felt for this new enemy.

He didn't understand why he couldn't tell them the truth, perhaps he WAS afraid. Afraid of the many things that tainted his actions and his life. The haunting voices from long ago seemed to have resurfaced, and he could not bear to see his in the mirror.

Grabbing the Sil'var, he exited the bathroom and darted into his room.

His room was how it always was, dark, obscure, incommodious, and funereal. Blue prints and parts of gadgets scattered about the table and on the floor.

The newspaper clippings haven't changed a bit, all of them were of the same old news. Robin felt like he couldn't pull them off, it served as reminders.

He saw Kahn's image as he sat on his bed. And he snarled.

_You seem to have forgotten something....something important......_

"What did he mean......"

......_weaker..._

He held his head, and winced.

_We can become much stronger......_

He knew what the haunting voices meant. The belt from the Red X suit was still quietly stored away, waiting to be powered up.

"Why can't I...!"

_From this day forward, you shall be called Robin......_

"What am I forgetting......!?"

_Robin, you are hurting me......_

"I didn't want to, what am I......!"

_Brings back memories, doesn't it?......._

".................."

Robin got up shakily, and found the same anger he felt days ago pout back into him. Somewhere in the back of his subconscious, he grinned.

He moved towards the door, to retrieve something he swore off as a mistake. His eyes caught the sight of the Sil'nar, lying on the table innocently.

His eyes immediately softened, and he stumbled. The voices were gone, and his reflection on a small metal showed the frightened image of a teenage boy.

_Ye'gurl ef hisa ef co'mr yun postr'url glealanja pyo funra. _

"......I promised them. I promised her." He said simply and took the Sil'nar in his hands, and held it to him.

Robin slept holding the poncho-like gift that night, and it seemed to have driven the demons from him. Though, in the back of his head, he could still hear the residue of an old saying.

_Promises are meant to be broken. _

------------------

Flying was her favorite pastime, besides hanging out with her friends, of course. Flying for fun during nighttime, though, was something she had never done frequently. Absorbing energy from the sunlight was her daily routine, so wasting energy when she could not replenish it easily wasn't a good idea.

But at the moment, Starfire was feeling happy, joyous. And when she is happy, she flies, it was as simple was that.

The girl felt that all the concentrated time and effort in making the Sil'nar had produced the results and benefits she desired. Robin had liked it, and Starfire could feel herself liking it too.

The Sil'nar was something most Tamaranians wore during poem readings. It served to be a beacon for the mind to focus. Starfire had one of her own when she was a child, but lost it before she came to Earth.

Flying closer to the waters, Starfire allowed her right hand to submerge under the surface, and giggled at the clean, cool feeling of the ocean.

Starfire couldn't help but repeat to herself, the words of X'hal.

_"Ye'gurl ef hisa ef co'mr yun postr'url glealanja pyo funra."_

She was sure that if they followed the words of X'hal, they would see the truth. If the Titans would not allow the raw emotions of anger and anxiousness bind them. This was also the teachings of Raven, which extended to Azarath. Starfire had learned much from the gothic girl.

She wouldn't fool herself to think that Robin was now entirely free of the demons of his past and present. He still seemed to have a hard time accepting reality, and the fact that Slade was gone and someone else has taken his place. But that was the reason for the Sil'nar, as a beacon of light that can hopefully guide the boy back to them.

The Tamaranian girl had yet to forget the demonic voice earlier today. One could not forget something like that so easily. But with Robin's situation, she had thought best not to bring forth such another complication. Of course, she also acknowledged that withholding such information may bite them in the future.

She decided to speak to and to seek guidance from Raven later, if she could find it in her to seek for the answers.

Starfire flew to the clouds, and in pleasant surprise, saw a full moon. She hovered in the air, and watched the moon. Unbeknownst to her, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven were also gazing at the moon the same time.

Robin saw the moon, and also saw Gotham. He saw the shadows of the memories he didn't remember, and yet desperately wanted to.

He disregarded his need for a cup of water, and went back into the dark den of his room.

--

* * *

**Closing notes**: Just to clarify, Batman won't make an appearance, and probably not even his name will be mentioned.


	6. Frailty pt 5

Standard disclaimer of ownership and properties apply readily.

--**TT**

Chapter 5

--

Robin perched on the edge of the building of the city bank, his cape flapped with the wind behind him as he watched the empty streets below him.

He had ventured into the city during the night, leaving the tower in hopes of escaping the suffocating feeling of confinement. He knew that sounded weird, considering that the Titans' Tower was easily over 100 feet high and spacious enough to fit an army of tanks. Even the most claustrophobic psychos would probably feel at home.

It was just because they had not made any progress or discovered anything new on the business regarding either Loki or Kahn, the new bane of his life as it is.

It has been four days since they've contacted the authorities for files and information. Robin can still remember the feeling of the animosity rippling through the screen as the police chief spoke to them. What was his name? A. Hol Weiner? No, that was what Beast Boy called him. It was probably something like Anderson, or Johnson.

To put it simply, the man wasn't too comfy with the idea of a group of teenage superheroes guarding the city. He was also threatened by the prospect that the authorities pretty much only dealt with prison duty, ever since the Gotham kid showed up in their city to form a league of super teens. He was more or less one of those conservatives who thought that adolescences were trouble and should be in school, getting education that will someday make them the ideology of America.

Raven's opinion of that was a simple sign language with her middle finger.

After much persuading and coaxing, Anderson or Johnson had finally agreed to allow them some access to certain areas of the files. No thanks to Robin.

The Boy Wonder had basically showed the police a more accurate demonstration of 'bad cop', so they were not really pleased with the leader of the Titans. It was then Starfire and Cyborg to the rescue. The chief seemed less prone to pounce on Cyborg. The teen android was, after all, the star athlete of his high school before his accident, at least, that's what the others got from the conversation. Starfire was just too nice and amiable of a person to be hostile towards. Robin later reprimanded himself for his hasty actions and nasty attitude.

There wasn't anything, not a single clue or lead. The police also informed them that only petty activities like meager theft and assault charges had been made to the police in the past week. In order words, there was absolutely shit, and Robin didn't like the sound of that.

Then the idea that Jinx had indeed deceived them came, that perhaps they were tricked into thinking there was another enemy they had to be worried about. So Robin, Raven, and Cyborg revisited the old hideouts of the H.I.V.E., while Starfire and Beast Boy kept watch in the tower.

It was just like when Robin returned to Slade's old hideout: dusty, broken, luminous, and creepy. The H.I.V.E. had vanished, and no trace of them remained.

The linkage of Kahn was also dead, more literal than one would think. The man didn't exist in any record, and anyone who had the word 'Khan' in their name did not identify with the man's image.

It was when Robin decided to investigate the SCR Grand Central Station that they were able to get something useful. The facility was the target of the H.I.V.E., and so was most possibly also the target of the new threat.

They met a few scientists there, who seemed reluctant to speak to the Titans. Their reaction and attitude during the questioning seemed edgy and nervous, as if they were hiding something. But Raven was there, and she had not picked up on anything that could mean they were withholding information. As she explained, they were just doubtful and a little afraid.

It was later discovered that it was because they had some connections to Professor Chan, who was the one who supplied Robin with zinothium to create the suit of Red X, and they were nervous of being charged as cohorts.

The dubious scientists gave them a disc, which contained the names of a variety of professors who were involved with projects that resided in the SCR Grand Central Station. Robin was quick to do research on the disc, trying to find any hint that could indicate this Loki.

These circumstances led the Boy Wonder to further obsess in his research and work. Robin barely showed around the tower in the last three days, spending most of his time reviewing and examining newspaper clips, reading through the disc, and watching surveillance cameras of the city.

Most of the other Titans had already simmered slightly, wary but didn't worry overmuch like Robin did. But things were different for him.

Starfire immediately saw the resemblance with the incident of Red X and the boy's workaholic tendency. She pestered him indefinitely, with 'would you like some refreshments, boy of wonder?' some 'let me assist you in research, Robin', and a load of 'please, do the hanging out with us'.

He knew what she was doing, and tried his best not to disappoint her, and soon found himself singing karaoke. Who knew Beast Boy could be good at singing new age music?

He also constantly found himself staring at the _Sil'nar_ that now hangs amongst the clippings on his wall. And every time he did, he would remember the warm feeling of Starfire's forehead pressed against his.

But the mortifying feeling of the entire situation still got to him. It was just quiet, too quiet.

Robin finally decided that he needed to see the city for himself, to reassure his detective instincts that there wasn't anything amiss He felt a little guilty for not telling Starfire of his midnight outing, but the guilt was washed away when he saw the glorious night.

So now he found himself alone on the rooftops of Jump City, peering at the darkness.

Not a soul or presence was seen nor felt, though Robin knew better, there is always someone prowling in the city at night. But he liked it that way. He cherished it, appreciated it. It was during nights like this that when he would feel the nostalgic memories of Gotham. Where he met his mentor, where he became Robin, where his life changed......

It was an oxymoron, he knew. He loved Gotham yet hated it at the same time.

He used his grappler hook to swing from building to building. Eventually, he arrived at the park, where he first met Starfire.

Robin saw the tree that still had cracks from where it was impacted. New buds had grown from the broken branches into new, young new parts. The shape of the entire tree was awkward, but endearing at the same time, though its sentimental value probably only applied to Robin and Starfire.

The Boy Wonder touched the bark with his gloved fingers, and he saw the image of both his past and present. It was rather conflicting, the darkness of his mind and the vigilance of his persona were clashing, and his touch on the tree toughened.

He looked towards the sky, and saw the moon, though not full anymore, still posed angelically. Robin shot a grappler hook and soared through the sky.

--------------------

Starfire walked around the tower, searching for the Boy Wonder. He wasn't in his room, the gym, or the evidence center. This slightly eased her, as it meant he wasn't going bonkers. But she was still curious, and a little worried. So she ended up knocking on Raven's door.

Raven opened slowly and only a small portion, like she usually did.

"Raven, have you seen Robin?" The Tamaranian girl asked.

"No. I haven't." She was about to close the door.

"Then, have you any assumption to his whereabouts?"

"You should ask one of the boys, if they ever get off that gamestation."

"Oh, I see." Starfire was about to leave and Raven was about to close the door.

Raven halted before she closed the door entirely, pondering, then...

"Wait." Starfire turned around to look at the gothic girl.

Slowly, the door opened all the way. Starfire had expected to hear a distinct sound of stones colliding, like in Indiana Jones. The entrance to the ruins always made the clichéd stone and rock crushing sounds, and Beast Boy always made sure people noticed that part by producing his own sound effects.

Starfire stood in front of the door for a few moments, actually feeling inauspicious about entering, and she found out why when she saw what was in Raven's room.

There was a glyph, shining and glowing faintly, but easily visible in contrast to the darkness of the room. It was in the shape of a circle, with scribbles and lines that stretched inside the magical circle as well as slightly outside of it. Books and odd items scattered about the floor, all of which were not within the magical symbol. Starfire could easily tell what the glyph was.

"Raven. You have been conducting a ritual of sorcery." It almost sounded like a question.

Raven nodded. "It's a revealer spell, used to unveil dark magic forces. Oh, and don't go in there, it'll ruin the spell."

Starfire made a circumspect of the glyph. "Is this the task in which has you occupied for the past few days?"

"I try to sneak a few minutes here and there. Besides, it's better than listening to Cyborg and Beast Boy arguing about cartoons."

Raven took a bottle of lotus pedals and concentrated her powers. The lotus pedals floated out of the bottle and landed within the glyph, and instantly became the same glow of magic and substance as the glyph.

Starfire watched, awed and curious. Such magic did not exist on the planet of Tamaran, but certain practices and wizardry do partake in the culture of the Tamaranians, and so she was not too unfamiliar with the ideology.

"These symbols, they represent the phallic tracers, no? And the circle, it is a display of the city." She stated while pointing at a pool of flowing liquid, also bounded by the powers of the spell.

"I knew I was right in showing you."

Starfire smiled. "Tell me, Raven. Why have you performed such an impressive yet complex undertaking? And why have you not inform us? Do you not trust us?"

Raven went to grab a book. "Do I look like Robin?" Starfire frowned and lowered her head at the comment.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Raven apologized, but still in monotone.

"It is.........all right, you are correct in such aspects. However I do not wish to accept, it remains true." The Tamaranian girl looked sadly at the moving spell components.

"No, it's not true." Raven began, while conjuring some specific powers. "He's being eaten alive, by his past, and by his present. It's not that he doesn't trust us. And he's recovering, thanks to you."

Starfire hugged herself, and walked closer to the door. "Robin is loathing his life, I could feel it. Though I am ashamed to admit I do not understand. He has many friends! Us! Why does he away.........

"I wish for Robin to be free with his thoughts, to be happy and remarkable! To be the Boy of Wonder......with us......"

"...............Starfire......" Raven paused in her activities.

Sniff. Sniff. "Forgive me. I have been a silly toddler." She had not moved, and remained in the corner, trying to compose herself.

Raven contemplated methods to comfort her friend, the only other girl in the tower, the only other person she got along with other then Cyborg.

A hug would be the most detrimental action of her life, reputation wise. Any sort of physical expression of consoling would be the bane of her existence. She was already showing too much concern over Robin as it was.

Not knowing what to do exactly, Raven just resumed with the spell and dropped the component in her hand, and it traveled to the glyph. The glittering spell component was like a fairy dust, gliding in the drawing of the sorcery of Azarath.

The fairy suddenly glowed brightly on a specific spot.

"Well, that's new." Raven commented.

"What is the development?" Starfire asked, finally composed enough. She saw the glowing fairy.

"In actuality, I haven't really made any progress with this spell. That was the only time it did anything." She moved closer to the fairy.

"There's been some strong surges of energy used here." Raven said, pointing at the glowing fairy.

Starfire scrutinized the spot carefully, and found that she knew where that area was. It was where she heard the horrible voices in her head.

--------------------

"Raaaaahh!!" Robin flung a birdarang that knocked over one of the robbers.

_Jewelry store thieves, again! _Robin thought, as he chased down one of the goons in black outfits.

As he swung around the city, he had, by coincidence or not, gave witness to an act of thievery. His instincts told him that everything was more than what it seemed, as the thieves did not make a single sound. They were swift and agile in their performances and they triggered no alarm.

Having done this routine numerous times in Gotham, Robin merely moved among the shadows until he got close enough for a surprise attack. But he was the one to get a surprise.

The goon he snuck up on, had somehow sensed his presence just before he was about to strike. He barely leapt out of the way as the criminal just charged at him, which was actually the surprise. They didn't have weapons.

So now he was chasing down the last bad guy in the dark streets of Jump City, and he told himself how weird it was to say that.

Having a good momentum and distance, Robin leapt and knocked the last suspect to the ground with a flying kick. Robin was slightly surprised at how easy these guys went down, but tried to think nothing of it.

Robin also remembered what happened with the fight against Mumbo Jumbo, and made good mental restraint to not give into his anger.

"Insomniacs, the world would be better without them." Robin tied the last goon up and dragged him back to his two fallen buddies.

"Happy reunion." Robin grunted as he tossed them all together and bounded them with titanium strings.

The teen stared hard at the three criminals curiously, as they were silent during the whole ordeal. No shouts, no communication with each other, nothing. Robin lifted one of the ski masks.

"Huh!?"

The goon was an average middle aged man with glasses and short cut hair. There was nothing criminal or special about him, except that his eyes were open but in the state of REM, meaning that he was asleep.

Robin's eyebrows furrowed and he snapped his fingers in front of their faces, trying to gauge a reaction. No effect at all.

Robin was just about to contact either the police of his friends when a booming voice echoed through the empty streets.

"_Night, the beloved. Night, when words fade and things come alive. When the destructive analysis of day is done, and all that is truly important becomes whole and sound again. When man reassembles his fragmentary self and grows with the calm of a tree." _

A glowing red eye appeared from the curtains of darkness. Robin gritted his teeth and got into a defensive stance. Kahn smiled, and Robin could see the bearings of sharp, white teeth.

"Whoever said that sure has got my respect. Hehehehehehehe......"

"Arrrr......Kahn.........!" Robin muttered while moving around the man in caution.

"Nice to see you, Robin. You know, this is the first time I heard you speak. You've only been doing a lot of yelling last time. Hehehehehe."

Kahn regarded the Boy Wonder in the same amused attitude he displayed last time, very cocky.

Robin glared at him, and held his cape in front of him, for defense. "Just who are you?" His tone was obviously suppressing the rage he was feeling.

His crimson eye flared brightly. "I am Kahn, and only Kahn. I've told you already."

Robin pointed towards the three goons. "You have something to do with all of this, don't you!? What are you planning!? Who are you working for!?"

Kahn sneered. "Me? A minion under some perky asshole? I don't think so."

Robin didn't know why, but he believed him. He had met many people that were like him before, those who did not bow to anyone, and were arrogant beyond anything.

Kahn glanced at the three goons. "Hehehehehe. So, she's begun her little campaign."

Robin stepped forward. "Begun!? Who is she!? Are these people controlled!? Answer me!!!"

Kahn smiled maliciously, and began walking backwards.

"What if I don't like talking?"

"Then I'll beat it out of you." Robin said through gritted teeth, and shifted into an offensive stance.

Kahn's left eye glowed brightly and fiercely. "Hehehehehehe. Then let's have a little game of follow the leader." He backed into the darkest part of the city, where no street lights existed. Only a dim red glow was seen in the dark.

"_Let's see how you fare, fighting in the dark_."

"Arrrgh!!!" Robin dashed after him, following the red glow.

And so the second round begins.

-------------------

"Raven, I believe I know of the origin of the occurrence!" The Tamaranian exclaimed. "During our pursuit of the Jumbo, I was teleported against my will to another part of the city. After I had accumulated enough of my bearings, I had tried to navigate my path back to Robin and Beast Boy!" She paused to catch her breath.

"Starfire, just get to the point."

Starfire obliged. "I have heard voices, Raven, very unpleasant voices."

Raven raised her eyebrows.

"I cannot clearly recall the details, but I believe the originator of those voices were of ominous intentions."

"Were you okay? Why haven't you told us any of this?" Raven asked, now alert.

"Yes, I thank you for your concern, but I was able to repel the evil resonant. And...I did not inform any of you......because of similar reasons you have to not inform us of this." She indicated the glyph with her finger.

Raven couldn't counter that.

"Starfire, this isn't good. That sounds like black magic used here and-"

The fairy dust suddenly dispersed and scattered around another part of the map, and danced around rapidly.

"Eeeek! I apologize, Raven! Have I done something wrong!?"

Raven analyzed the display of lights. "No, you've done nothing wrong. It's showing us something............there's something......very ominous......!"

Starfire didn't like the sound of that.

"We must investigate! I shall contact Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy!" She flew out of the room with Raven flying closely behind.

They arrived at the main room and found Cyborg and Beast Boy playing a game on the gamestation intently.

"Friends! We have urgent trouble!" Starfire flew in front of the gigantic screen.

"Star!!! I was about to win!" Beast Boy whined, trying to cover up the fact he was losing again.

"Huh!? What's going on?" Cyborg immediately went into alert mode, and to Beast Boy's credit, he followed the same mentally quickly.

"What's up!? The alarm didn't go off!" Beast Boy looked at Starfire for an answer.

Raven spoke behind them. "I've been monitoring the city for anomalies in the magical department, and I've just picked up on a source, and it's scattered across a good portion of the city."

"Is that what you've been doing in your room these days? Could've told us, girl." Cyborg said while he turned off the gamestation.

"We must identify the source, friends, we must make haste! Where is Robin!?"

Beast Boy and Cyborg both looked perplexed. They gave blank expressions and then turned to look to Raven.

Raven shook her head, and began searching with her empathic skills.

Cyborg used his communicator. "Robin! Do you read me!? Answer me, man! Are you in the tower!? Answer me, dammit!!"

"He's not here......" Raven said, now getting worried.

Cyborg checked Robin's locator signal, and began panicking when there wasn't any response.

"Where is Robin!? Tell me!! We must search for him!!" Starfire yelled, now getting emotional.

Beast Boy went to check the Titans computer mainframe. "The computer's getting some of Rob's signal in the city!"

Starfire and Raven gasped. Cyborg continued to yell into his arm.

"Yo! Robin! Answer me!!!"

Nothing.

"Titans! We're moving out, pronto!!!"

-------------------

The sounds of pounding and smashing echoed throughout the city. It was a rather interesting event as the darkness masked the source of the sounds, making it difficult to even determine the origin of the vibrations. Bits and pieces of the city flew after each powerful attack. But the most awe inspiring prospect of the fight was that though the darkness concealed almost everything, one could see the general direction of the fight because there was an incredibly fast moving red glow.

Kahn and Robin were fighting within the darkness of the night, each having a rather different mindset and attitude.

Robin was using his fighting skills in ferocious battle cries and powerful grunts every time he made contact with the mysterious enemy.

Kahn, on the other hand, kept his cocky and amused debonair, but fought back with equal fierceness.

RAM!!! "Aaah!!" Apparently Robin took a rather hard blow.

The Boy Wonder picked himself up with a recover flip, and glared at his opponent, or at least the left eye. He panted slightly.

"Pe!!!" Kahn spat, probably some blood. "Not bad, despite the advantage, you did rather well. A lot better than last time. Hehehehehhehe."

Everything was still too dark to see, but the crimson light was there.

"Hah...hah...is this some kind of game to you!?"

"Haha......most things in life are." The glow moved and Robin reacted by leaping backwards, trying to get a strategic distance between them.

"Raah!" Robin performed a horizontal kick when the light got close, and aimed for where Kahn's head might be.

Kahn dodged it, and released a powerful uppercut into Robin's midair state.

"Break!!!" A huge impact followed. Robin flew upwards, mouth open and breath beaten out of his lungs. Kahn jumped up after him, like last time.

"Down!!!" A kick sounded throughout the streets.

**POWN!** Robin hit the ground and bounced off a little, until he laid still. Kahn landed near him.

"Don't jump hastily, makes you a blatant target. Can't change directions easily in the air."

Robin gradually stood up, though uneasily. Sheer anger and determination pulled him back up.

"Hah......hah......hah.........!"

Kahn frowned, though Robin couldn't seee. "Anger clouds your judgment, didn't he teach you that?"

"Shut up! You don't know anything!!!" Robin charged and brought out his bo-staff, swinging diagonally.

Kahn blocked it with his arm but was kicked on the other side of the face. He whirled to the side, to avoid any follow up attacks, but still got rammed in the gut.

"Ooof!!!"

Using the gap in movement, Robin retracted his bo-staff and placed his hands on both of the man's shoulders, and flipped over his head. With his hands still grasping the shoulders, Robin used the momentum of the flip to perform an overhead toss, and planted Kahn straight into the ground.

THUNK!!!

But Robin didn't relinquish his hold yet, and hoisted the fallen man up slightly. Using all his strength, Robin flung the limb form of Kahn into the air, brought out his bo-staff again, leapt up after the body, and slammed the metal weapon against the airborne man's torso.

Kahn flew another unknown number of feet.

Robin landed on the ground in a crouching position, panting.

"Hah.........! Hah.........! That ...was payback...!"

A soft sound entered his ears, and the Boy Wonder lifted his head to see the red glow not far away.

"What......! Is that eye!?"

Robin had constantly pondered upon the possibilities of that crimson annoyance. Whenever he looked at it, he could feel pieces of his mind break, and the turmoil of his subconscious rise. Combined with the cryptic words of Kahn, and that became hazardous.

"Hehehehehehehehehehehahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!"

Robin stayed in that crouched position, maintaining a potential defense stance.

He had learned in his dealings with Gotham criminals and lunatics, that getting vexed by the enemy's insane ramblings was to allow an opening. So he willed himself to remain composed. But the darkness meant that he had to look at the red glow to keep his guard, and looking at that red eye meant his mind was collapsing.

"Arrrrrr.........!!!!" The Boy Wonder growled, but still was able to remain keeping his stance.

Suddenly, his communicator sounded.

"_Robin! Do you read me!? Answer me, man! Are you in the tower!? Answer me, dammit!!" _Cyborg's voice carried through the communicator.

Robin's first instinct was to answer his android friend, but halted when his hand almost reached the communicator. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to answer.

"Hehehehe......what's wrong? Call your friends, get them over here. That's the only way you can defeat me."

Kahn's red eye glowed dangerously bright, and actually illuminated parts of his face.

Robin's teeth clinched as he continued to scrutinize the red eye, and his fist clenched tightly.

_Don't worry, Robin, I'm not going anywhere......_

_What I remember is that you couldn't defeat me......at least not all alone......_

_I don't want to destroy your precious city. Just want to be number one......_

_Make the night your own......_

_I'm sorry kid, but your parents.........they're......they're......_

Robin didn't want to lose, not to Kahn, not to Slade, not to any criminal, not to his mentor, not to anyone in the entire world. Contacting his friends would be the strategic and intelligent thing to do. But.........

"What are you waiting for!? Let's have a full house barrage already!!!!"

.........he'd rather die before he loses to this maniac.

"_Yo! Rob! Answer me!!!" _Click! Robin turned off the locator signal on his com-link.

Kahn frowned. "Well, now. What are you proposing to do now?"

Robin growled. "I'm going to fight you to hell..."

Kahn's red eye glowed again, and Robin saw the images of his friends, Red X, Slade, and a life in Gotham.

_---T_

"_One day, you'll grow to be a strong, handsome young man, Richard. And then, you'll become the greatest of the Grayson family."_

"_You really think I can, dad?"_

"_Of course you can, you're my son!"_

_---T _

"_I couldn't save him! I couldn't!!!"_

---T

"_So, what's your name?" _

"_Raven." _

"............ _you don't talk much, do you?"_

_---T_

"_Who are you!?"_

"_If I wanted you to know that, would I be wearing a mask?" _

_---T_

It was like watching a carousel that never stopped spinning, showing circles of his life. What was and what could not be. Robin felt a breath caught in his throat.

"I wonder what you're seeing."

"What is that eye!?" Robin asked, once again.

"Do you see your life crumbling before you? Perhaps the deaths of loved ones? Or maybe the face of a hated enemy? Whatever it is, you're still running away from it."

Robin could have sworn he had this conversation before.

"You don't know what you're talking about. You're just another maniac that needs to be put away in an asylum, for a long time."

"Hehehehehe. I do hope you're talking about yourself."

Robin squinted his eyes. "What are you-"

"Perhaps you have forgotten, but the old man wasn't savagely beaten by me."

Robin felt another part of his mind split.

Kahn took another step towards the horror stricken boy.

"You parade in a uniform of light when you obviously emerged from a world of darkness. Constantly trying to justify your own actions and to gain a sense of self gratification, to do away with whatever hell is in your mind. You're afraid, very afraid. But you're just too stupid to realize it, and now you're using anger to cover it, to shield yourself."

The man seemed to be getting more and more amused as he talked.

"You don't even understand yourself, and need others to confirm your existence, your pathetic purpose. You fight crime, but for what reason? To what extent? You can't even accept the darkness in yourself."

He paused to let the boy drink in his words.

"Why are you Robin?"

The Boy Wonder didn't know if the words held merit or not, but he was too shaken to process much anymore. Almost only his fighting instincts remained.

_I don't want to hear this! _Robin thought.

_Then allow me......_A voice ran through his head. And Robin could feel himself grin in the back of his head.

"Hehehehehe. You understand that you can't defeat the dark, unless you're part of the dark yourself. Fight fire with fire."

"**Rah**!!!" Robin charged at the man in a frenzy of fury, the only thought was to make sure his heard stopped beating.

Kahn smirked and met the boy head on.

--

* * *

**Closing notes: **Action, action, and more action. I think that's a little too much.


	7. Frailty pt 6

Standard disclaimer of ownership and properties apply readily.

---**T**

Chapter 6

---

"Where the hell are we supposed to be heading!?" Cyborg yelled, taking the T-car up to over 100 mi/hour.

Beside him, Raven was checking the city night. "The spell showed a disturbance around the Jump City museum. There's a lot of scattered magic."

"And that's not something to be happy about, right?" Beast Boy asked.

Raven just stared at him, critically.

"But why has not the alarm blared at such a disturbance?" Starfire asked, voicing the same concern of Cyborg's.

"It means either something is wrong with our systems, which there is not! Or that no one triggered an alarm to alert us!"

Raven nodded. "Or this could be the man who attacked Robin."

Starfire felt the thick distress swell in her chest. "Cyborg, please tell me, why has not Robin respond!? Where is he!?"

Cyborg didn't know how to answer the girl. This was just like the cases before, Robin was either plotting something they didn't know, or he was being targeted by a dangerous villain.

"I couldn't pick up any signal from Robin's communicator. That means either it's taken from him..."

"Or he turned it off himself." Raven finished. Cyborg grimaced.

"Why would he do that!? That's just plain stupid!!" Beast Boy yelled.

"I agree." Raven said dryly.

"Why!? Why does Robin wish to act alone!? There must be a reason!"

Raven remained silent. Beast Boy and Cyborg were about to say something encouraging when they suddenly saw a massive group of people up ahead.

"What the!!!??" Cyborg stepped on the breaks just in time before he ran over twenty eighteen wheelers.

REEEEEEEEK!!

The people were all passively standing, like statues. But when the Titans exited the vehicle to inspect, they started moving.

Beast Boy was more freaked than any of the others. "Oh no!!!! It's just like the third issue of _Zombies from the Graves_!!! We're all gonna be undead meat!!!"

Cyborg immediately checked his scanners. "Okay, now I'm freaked. Their bio metrics show that there's nothing wrong with them, except they're all somnambulists."

"What?"

Cyborg sighed. "They're sleep walkers."

Starfire flew into the air. "I do not understand. Why are these civilians out of their homes and in the city at such a time of sleep?"

"I told you! They're zombies! Ack! They're coming!!!"

The mob of sleep walkers began their advance on the Titans.

Cyborg transformed his arm then frowned. "Dammit! We can't hurt them, they're just normal citizens! I'm up for suggestions!"

Starfire shouted her foremost concern. "We must find Robin! He will know what to do!!!"

Raven, during the whole time, was concentrating her empathic abilities to evaluate the situation.

"No. We can't waste time, especially if we don't know where he is."

She levitated into the air. "These people are just under simple control, nothing is wrong with them. They're just distractions. The real culprit is at the museum."

Cyborg growled. "That would explain why there was no alarm. All the people are walking in the city in their pajamas!"

The people suddenly became more aggressive and began running towards the Titans.

Starfire reacted immediately and hoisted Cyborg into the air to avoid the crowd. Raven was already in the air and Beast Boy transformed into a bird. The mob was just below them, but didn't make any sounds.

"So, what are we going to do?" Raven asked Cyborg.

Before Cyborg could speak, Starfire interjected. "The originator of the mind control must be defeated! We must proceed to the facility of historical artifacts instantly!"

The quicker they solved the magic problem the faster they can go look for Robin.

Cyborg pointed to Starfire. "What she said!"

Raven nodded. "All right, but we need to be careful. The enemy apparently knows we're around."

Beast Boy squawked, and flapped his wings.

"Wait! Can't forget about my baby!" Cyborg pressed a button on his arm and the T-car began shielding itself with metal plating, just before the mob could damage it.

"Booya! That's right! Precautions have been made! Gotta thank Fixit for that later."

"Let's just go." Raven took off towards the museum, with the others closely behind.

-----------------

The street was damaged beyond recognition. Holes and cracks were in buildings and most of the street lights were broken.

Robin and Kahn stood in a face off situation. Both sides stood tall and unwavering. They stood under a flickering street light

Robin was now passive and emotionless. He didn't seem the least fazed by what happened just a few minutes ago. His face showed some forming bruises, and his uniform was in tatters. His staff was broken in half, the broken half laid on the ground.

Kahn had blood dripping from his chin and some parts of his face. His red eye sparkled dimly.

Robin exhaled a small breath.

"............?" Kahn breathed.

Robin tilted his head slightly to the side.

"Now I'm really curious about what you saw......hehehehehehe..."

Robin raised a hand, and looked at his palm.

Kahn turned around, inspecting the area, as a mob showed up.

"Hehehehehahahahaha......! Time for me to go. That woman is sure starting the show." He cranked his head back to look at the Boy Wonder.

".........professor Markowitz. You'll find answers from that name. Hahahahahaha..."

Kahn disappeared into the darkness, leaving Robin under the flickering lights.

The crowd got closer.

Robin inhaled.

The sounds of footsteps were very, very loud.

_Whatever it takes......yes?_

He exhaled.

-------------------

The Titans arrived at the museum, but saw no one, not even some mind controlled people.

Beast Boy landed on the rooftop, and swiftly changed back into human.

"Guess no one's home."

Cyborg and Starfire landed next to the changeling. The titanium Titan used his mechanical optic to scan the edifice.

"There's someone in there, scanner is picking up some heat."

"Could it be Robin?" Starfire asked, rather apparent with her thoughts.

"No, it isn't." Raven answered.

Cyborg turned to them.

"Let's go in, but be careful. Who knows what these freaks can do."

They entered via Raven's teleportation ability, and found themselves in the halls where they fought Warp.

The clock of time was seen standing, surrounded by glass, with a spotlight shining on it.

Cyborg switched on his optic flash light, and tried to see in the dark. Raven was on full alert, ready to shield the Titans when necessary. Beast Boy had immediately changed into a tiger, for preemptive move and for scent. Starfire would have powered up her starbolts, if it were not too obvious in this particular situation. But her eyes glowed bright emerald and were ready to fire.

Foot steps.

They all reacted, spinning to the sound.

A man slowly came out of the shadows, an old man with a monocle.

"Greetings, Titans. I say, it is a pleasure to finally meet you all. I have heard so many stories of your team."

Cyborg raised his now prepared sonic cannon. Raven floated into the air, powers tingling fiercely. Starfire still had her eye lasers prepped. Beast Boy shifted into a gorilla instead.

"Careful, Jeeves. This thing can blow your head clean off, so don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"I wouldn't dream of it. An old man like me has no chance against such young and powerful spirits. I am here merely at the request of my mistress. She has very high regards for each and every one of you."

Starfire moved forward sternly. "What have you done to Robin?" She asked in a soft but threatening voice.

The old man took a better look of the group. "The young chap from Gotham? Heavens, we have done nothing to your leader. In fact, I am rather curious to his whereabouts as well, I was looking forward to meeting him. I have heard much about his deeds and heroic escapades."

Raven was glancing hard at every direction.

"Oh! How rude of me, I have yet to introduce myself." He bowed. "I am Albert Dunstan, a retired soldier from the old days."

"All right, Mr. Dunstan. What do you or this mistress of yours want? You people went about controlling the people of this city, didn't you?" Cyborg asked, eye and optic furrowed deeply.

Starfire was fidgeting.

"Why, only to greet you all, of course. It is customary to greet the protectors of the light before ones such as us go blatantly on the streets."

"Careful." Raven suddenly warned.

Shadows begin shifting and morphing from the corners.

"Ah, an empath AND a sorcerer. It is no wonder you all have found here this quickly."

The shadows took forms and red, demonic eyes began to form. They appeared to be huge rat like shadow fiends with no tail but many, many sharp teeth.

Beast Boy shifted back into human form from slight fright.

"Raven? Please tell me you're going out of control and doing all this." He said, backing up against Cyborg's gigantic form.

"Friends, I am feeling the 'willies' again." Starfire ascended slightly more into the air, getting away from the shadow fiends.

"_Hsssssss!_" A small fiend moved forward.

"I'm afraid, though, that my mistress wishes for you to bid this world farewell, for you might become nuisances to her further plans."

"Were you the ones who hired the H.I.V.E.?" Raven asked, still darting her glances side to side.

"Why, yes. How did you ever discover such information?"

Cyborg's cannon began flickering slightly. "Ask my cannon. Who's Loki, jeeves?"

Albert scrutinized the teen, and chuckled. He snapped his fingers.

"_Heeeeeeeeeyssss!!!" _Three fiends darted forward.

ZOOOON!!! Cyborg blasted one down instantly.

ZIIIIIN!! Starfire shot the second with a strong laser.

Beast Boy morphed into a lion and prowled the other one to the ground, trying to crush its neck. It disappeared. The same with the other two.

Albert clapped. "Very impressive. Swift and precise with your attacks. You are trained well, I am even more curious as to what your leader can perform."

He rubbed his chin in an anticipating manner.

"Although, I'm afraid I cannot provide any information to my mistress's plans."

Raven was still looking for something. Starfire noticed.

"Raven, what are you searching for?" She whispered.

"Conjurer stones. These things should be summoned by magical items, but I don't see any."

Albert glanced at a watch on his wrist.

"My, my. The time has arrived, I must depart. I do hope these fiends will keep you company."

He turned around, and walked back into the darkness. "Until we meet again, though the point **is** to make that impossible."

He was gone.

"_Hsssssssssssss!!!!_" The shadows created more demonic creatures.

"I...do...not...like...this...!!!" Starfire cried, powering her starbolts.

"Stand your ground, guys. We're going to rally with a bunch of monsters."

"Man, they have sharper teeth than anything I can be."

"Feel like bailing?" Raven asked.

"Hell, yeah." Cyborg replied.

The two groups faced off. The fiends evaluated their preys as their preys examined them.

At least five fiends began moving and instantly charged at the four teens.

"Aaahh!!!!" Cyborg yelled and shot a pulse to disintegrate the five fiends.

ZOOOOOON!

That started the whole thing.

"_Heeeeeesaaaaaa!!!_" All the red eyes began jumping and prowling at the Titans.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!!!!" Raven used her powers to created sharp blades and swiped through the fiends.

Starfire flew into the air and began a starbolt barrage.

"Ha! Hya! Ya! Ra! Ha!" ZIN! ZAP! ZIN! ZAP! ZAP!

The fiends couldn't fly, and took the hit. But they could always climb and jump.

One had moved up the pillars and leaped towards the distracted Tamaranian.

It bit right into her right shoulder.

"Aaaahhh!!!!" Starfire cried, and spun the fiend into a wall, with some of her blood.

"Starfire!!!" Raven screamed, and fended off several more fiends with her powers.

Beast Boy changed into a pterodactyl and flew to Starfire's aid, providing cover.

"Raah!" Cyborg resorted to punching as some got too close. He noted how weird it felt to be hitting solid shadows.

A couple had a lucky chance and pounced on him, and as with Starfire, bit into his titanium shell. Their teeth weren't that sharp.

"Haha!!! Titanium, baby!" He swatted it away, only to have another grab onto him.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven blew away several more only to have more converge.

"This is endless!" Raven shouted, while still worried about Starfire.

Starfire was managing herself by shooting starbolts with one hand. "We must gain more grounds! We must retreat to the outside of the facility!"

Beast Boy had turned into a T-rex and stomped on a group of fiends, but the sheer number of them overwhelmed him, and he felt many bites into his reptile skin.

"_FROOOOOOO_!!!" He roared as he spun around to shake off the pests. He morphed into a hawk and flew to avoid anymore surprises.

ZOOOOOOON!

Cyborg shot a sonic blast upwards, causing all the fiends on him to fly off.

"All right Titans! We gotta run!!!" Everyone eagerly obeyed, and looked for an exit.

The obvious path was soon seen: the roof.

Raven and Starfire took off, with Raven defending Starfire with her shields. Beast Boy morphed into a pterodactyl and hoisted Cyborg's immense body into the air.

ZOOOOON!

Cyborg continued to shoot down the fiends during his ascend.

They arrived over the roof, and quickly descended onto the streets below. Raven immediately went about healing Starfire's shoulder.

"Now-" Beast Boy began when a tremor shook through the ground.

"-what?" he finished.

The four watched in awe as the museum exploded with shadows, pouring like a geyser.

"Move! Move! Move!"

The four darted to the side, avoiding the maelstrom of fiends. Some crawled over, which Cyborg and Beast Boy dispatched quickly.

Starfire watched her two friends worriedly, but could not enter the fight hastily due to her injury.

Raven herself was too distracted to fully concentrate on her healing.

Beast Boy was an elephant, and trying his best to plow through the shadows, but they moved too fast and many managed to gain meaty bites into him.

"Beast Boy!!!!" Starfire cried and rushed away from Raven, without her arm healed, and began blasting the fiends off him.

"Starfire!!" Raven cried, but also began attacking.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" she moved two cars and dropped them.

BOOM!

"Hya! Ha! Ya!" ZIN! ZAP! ZAP!

After enough of the creatures vanished, Beast Boy morphed into a hawk and flew to the top of a building.

"Aaaaaaahhhh." He moaned slightly. Several spots of red showed on his green skin.

Once Beast Boy appeared to be out of immediate danger, Starfire relaxed slightly and remembered that her arm wasn't exactly in good condition.

She winced and descended next to the changeling, grasping at the bloody wound. The crimson fluid saturated her palm and flowed though her fingers. Raven wasn't able to stop the bleeding in time.

Raven continued to use her telekinesis to attack the creatures, determined to eliminate the offending hoard of devils that looked so much like.........

_Hatred shall rule......!!!_

"_Those eyes......" _she thought. The infinite number of red eyes peered at her and her friends, ready to rip them to pieces.

She felt a tug at her chest, and her powers flared slightly out of control.

A distinct shout caught her attention.

"Aaaahhh!! You're not gonna-gah!!" Cyborg was now almost submerged under a sea of shadows, struggling but to little effect.

"Cyborg!!!" Raven shouted as she tried to fly to him, but five more fiends leapt at her, and caught her cape.

She whirled and tried to use her powers to shake them, but they were too close for a strategic attack.

Her eyes caught sight of Cyborg flailing his arms as he tried to fire his cannon, but dozens of fiends latched on and he couldn't fire it properly.

Starfire attempted to fly to save her friend, but her wound kicked in and she grimaced as she kneeled on the roof.

Beast Boy was barely able to transform, and fell against the edge of the roof.

"Cyborg!!!" All three Titans yelled.

_Is this it......? _Cyborg thought, as he felt the numerous bites on his titanium shell, though ineffective, they would be lethal once his head was assaulted.

Silence.

SHRIIIIIIIINNN!!!

An upheaval of the ground streamed from within the fiends.

The street broke and propelled the fiends and Cyborg into the air.

The titanium android managed to get his bearings when he realized his airborne state and landed roughly on the pavement.

All the other three Titans felt their heart beating again as Cyborg emerged alive.

ZOOOOON!

Cyborg immediately went into combat mode again, and blasted away more of the advancing fiends.

Raven expanded her powers as a dome and eliminated the ones on her cape, and rushed to Cyborg's aid, and saw his savior.

"Jinx!?" Cyborg cried as the pink haired sorcerer flipped and leapt on top of the tips of the broken grounds.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" He yelled as he blasted a few fiends away from her feet.

"Why do you think!? I told you to get out of the city, and you blockheads decided to stay and fight an army!!!" She screamed as she released another stream of violet rays.

"Rah!!"

ZOOOOON!

"Remind me not to thank you later!!!"

"You won't have to if you died!"

"Then don't save me!!!'

"You're welcome!!"

Raven watched as the two fended off the fiends, and doing rather well.

Their teamwork training during the time in the H.I.V.E. sure seemed apparent as they fought.

Taking the chance, Raven flew to Starfire and resumed her healing, and also tried to help Beast Boy.

"Raven! The girl Jinx has come to aid us!?" Starfire questioned.

"Guess Cy has an admirer." Beast Boy joked tiredly, but feeling better as Raven healed him and Starfire simultaneously.

Raven growled slightly as she concentrated hard in the healing.

On the streets, Jinx flipped and balanced herself on Cyborg's shoulder to combine her attack with his sonic cannon pulse.

FROOOOOOON!!!

A huge light exploded as the beam of light blue merged with the pale violet, and the creatures shrilled as they were nuked. Smoke erupted.

"How's that!? You pack of rats!"

Jinx remained balanced on his shoulder.

The smoke cleared, and a huge crater was seen.

"Booya!!! That's what I call total annihilation!"

"Don't overexcite your circuits, tin man." Jinx commented slightly and leaped down.

Cyborg regarded her for a second, and frowned.

"You know, you didn't have to do this."

"Duh, you think I'm stupid? I just didn't want anyone else to kill you guys before I do."

Cyborg wanted to smile. "Then you are stupid. The H.I.V.E. won't be the end of us."

"Well, that's good."

Cyborg didn't know what to think of that.

"Cyborg!!!" Starfire cried and swooped down to envelope him in a tight hug.

"You are not devoured by little evil fiends from the center of the earth!!!"

Raven floated down, but was silent.

"Dude! That was totally awesome! Not as cool as our 'dino-combo'! But still pretty sweet!"

They high-fived each other.

"_Sreeeeeeee!!!_"

Within the smoke, red eyes appeared throughout the area.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!!!" Beast Boy moaned as he backed up.

"There's just no end to these things!!" Cyborg cranked up his sonic cannon, and found his arm beeping.

"I really should have just left you people..."

"They are more persistent than a group of _jorkils_!!!"

"Guys, my battery is almost out, whatever we do, we better just run!"

Raven finally saw what she was looking for.

A pair of green eyes was amongst the red ones.

"There!" She pointed.

"The one with the green eyes! It's the conjurer! Get it!"

The other Titans and Jinx turned towards where Raven pointed, and spotted the culprit.

It seemed to have noticed their attention and began scurrying away.

"You shall not escape!!" Starfire cried and began her chase while blasting starbolts.

Cyborg and Jinx's previous attacks had destroyed enough number of the fiends to clear a path for Starfire's pursuit, and so she could begin her famous starbolt barrage.

ZIN! ZAP! ZIN! Each attack got closer to the scurrying field as it tried to dodge as many green bolts as it could.

One finally hit its leg and it fell to the ground. Feeling victory near, Starfire flung a powerful starbolt, and hoped for the battle to end.

Suddenly, it shrilled.

All of the red eyed fiends converged over it, some destroyed by Starfire's attack.

They all began mashing together, squishing with the green eyed fiend. The group watched in horror as it resulted in a humongous shadow worm.

"Ew." Was all Raven said.

The monster immediately extended its reach, and rammed Starfire into a wall.

"Star!" Beast Boy yelled and changed into a T-rex, headbutting the large demon into several buildings.

Raven used all of what is left of her energy and threw two buses at the monster.

The objects seemed to just straight through.

Cyborg was about to move as well when Jinx placed her hand on his cannon.

"Do you want to feel a black out!? You just said your power is almost out!"

"And let that thing just make a hole out of this hell!? I don't think so!" He charged in, ready to give his life.

Jinx groaned and ran after him.

Starfire flew around the creature and flung starbolts, causing small explosions to quake around the worm.

"_Reeeeeee!!!_" Suddenly, the worm screamed, and a green emerald appeared on its forehead.

Before anyone can decipher the occurrence, the emerald flashed and a beam of magical powers shot towards them.

BRRRIIIIINN!!! Apparently, it can melt anything in its path.

Starfire managed to fly away and Beast Boy changed into a mouse to avoid the beam.

Raven summoned her shield and blocked the beam. It passed her went straight to the two running teens.

"Ah!" Cyborg and Jinx jumped out of the way.

The worm began charging up another beam when two discs flew right into its face.

BOOM! BOOM!

Starfire immediately knew who it was. "Robin!!!"

The Boy Wonder seemed to have glided down from the dark sky, giving off an aura of imposing nature.

Robin had used his grappler hook to bring himself straight to the worm's face, and gammed his broken staff into the emerald.

FLASH!! The worm convulsed and screamed horribly as its power source was destroyed.

The Titans watched in amazement as the gigantic worm creature just began fading away, until nothing of it was left.

Robin landed, and remained in a crouched position.

"Robin! You are safe!" Starfire went beeline for the arrived teen, wishing beyond anything to touch him and make sure he was all right.

Robin stood up and was immediately enveloped in a tender embrace from the Tamaranian girl.

"I...was...s-so...worried!!" Starfire chocked as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Robin didn't respond, but Starfire was too relieved to notice.

"Rob! Glad you crashed this party!!! Best timing, **ever**!!!" Beast Boy cried and as he ran in a limping way to the embracing couple.

"Yo!! Dawg!!! Where were you!? We had to kick demon butt all by ourselves, man!!" Cyborg walked over, with Raven and Jinx on both sides.

"How'd you know where to hit it?" Raven asked.

Robin cocked his head to the side, as if he didn't understand. "It was obvious." Was all he said.

Raven halted in her path. "Robin.........?" she whispered.

Jinx hadn't said anything since Robin arrived, simply because she didn't want to attract too much attention now that the danger was gone. But what she soon discovered, was that Robin was the real danger.

Robin placed a hand on Starfire's shoulder, and lightly pushed her away.

She blinked her tears away as she watched Robin take out an explosive disc and flung it against Jinx.

No one had expected that and only managed to gape in horror as the disc exploded in front of Jinx and she was propelled for many feet before she landed roughly on the street.

"What was that for, man!?" Cyborg cried as he turned to his leader.

Robin just cocked his head. "She's a villain. She needs to be destroyed."

Beast Boy felt his skin crawl. "Dude, she may be a bad guy, er, girl, but she helped us out! She saved Cy..."

"Robin, Jinx is not responsible for these attacks! Please-"

"Are you guys defending her? A villain?" Robin asked, and cocked his head to the other side.

Raven immediately moved forward. "Robin, listen to me. You're not yourself, you have to-"

"She'll just end up fighting us or committing crime again. Better to finish the job here." Robin droned.

"No! Robin, please do not say such things!" Starfire pleaded and grasped his shoulders. He violently shook her hold off.

"I've had enough......these cycles......they must end." He took out a fresh bo-staff, extended it and walked towards the pink haired girl who was struggling to get up.

Cyborg immediately blocked his path. "Rob... something's not right with you, calm down and we'll help you. Jinx is not to blame for anything right now-"

"Get out of the way, Cyborg. Or are you betraying us?"

"Yo! I ain't betraying anyone. You're acting freaky, man. Just-"

WHAM!!! Cyborg flew to the side, and too weak to get straight back up.

"No!!!" Starfire yelled, and ran to the boy's side, trying to make him listen.

Robin just ignored her and charged at the girl on the ground.

Jinx gasped as Robin leapt into the air, staff over his head, ready to make a smashed pumpkin out of her head.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!!!" Raven used the very last bit of her powers to restrain Robin by manipulating his clothes, however reluctant.

Beast Boy was shocked, he didn't know what was going on and he didn't know what to do.

"Robin, please! Listen to us!!!" Starfire cried, tears once again cascading down her face.

"I see......" Robin mumbled. "You don't agree with me......" He took out a disc.

"Then I'll end this all myself." He flung it to the ground.

FLASH!!! A light of high magnitude flared. Everyone's eyes pained by the immense light, and they had to shut them hard as the light continued to flash.

Raven had long lost her grip on Robin, and felt the fatigue from overusing her powers overcome her.

"R-Robin.........!" Starfire cried as the light continued to invade her retinas.

The lights had finally died down, and everyone opened their eyes slowly.

Starfire glanced at every direction, trying to find the Boy Wonder. He was gone.

"Uuuughhhh..." Cyborg groaned and got up, shakily. Raven knelt down and collapsed.

"Rae!!" He cried and cradled her.

"Rae!! Are you okay!? Rae!!" She moaned and writhed slightly. Jinx got up after her eyes stopped showing spot and treaded to the group, holding her left arm, which she fell on.

"What.........happened?" She asked, as if nothing made sense.

Beast Boy was still in shock, but kept his bearings and looked for Robin, though as an enemy.

"W-where did he go?" he asked through chattering teeth.

"Robin......" Starfire breathed, distressed. Suddenly, a realization hit her and she took off straight into the air.

"Star!" Beast Boy yelled, as she flew away. "Where are you going!!!"

"Rae!!! Can you hear me!? Rae!!!"

Raven gave no response.

"Dammit!!! Robin!!! What the hell has gotten into him!!!?"

Jinx still felt shaken up from the incident, but tried not to show it much.

"Guess he doesn't like me much..."

"He still wouldn't have attacked someone out of the blue!!! What-just what is going on here!!!???"

The fight had persisted through the entire night, and the sunrise had begun. Natural sunlight had finally graced the land, and Beast Boy felt his heart stop beating from what he saw.

"G-guys......oh, man......guys......" He pointed shakily.

Jinx looked around and saw what the changeling was pointing at. She gasped.

"What is it B.B.? What other kind of shit do we.........no..."

Cyborg finally knew why the mob of people hadn't showed around to attack them with the fiends, or was used as a distraction.

There, piled on the streets, laid all the civilians that were under mind control, or whatever it was. They were all laying across the roads and he couldn't tell if they were either dead or just unconscious.

Robin had attacked everyone who was in his way, even the innocents of Jump City. Cyborg and Beast Boy could not believe what they were seeing, and both just gaped, in complete and utter frustration.

Jinx lost her stamina and sat on the ground, holding her arm.

Raven groaned in Cyborg's arms, and moaned again. "The eye........."

------------------

Starfire sped across the sky as fast as her tired Tamaranian body could.

_No! No! No! NO! _She mentally screamed. Robin had finally gone beyond their world and was out of their reach. He was worse than ever. Worse than his obsession with Slade. Worse than his attitude under the effect of the reagent. He was evil, and much insane as it seemed.

His grip on reality seemed to have broken, and now he was what she had feared he would become in the many previous days.

"Robin would never...never-he would never-he-he..." She sobbed as she sped off towards where she thought Robin would be. The tower.

She entered through the roof, and felt her heart rate increase when she noticed the door had been opened.

Her adrenaline pumped and her anxiety grew as she dashed straight for his room. Hoping beyond hope that he was still in the tower, she opened the door, and stepped inside the dark den.

She desperately searched for a light, and managed to turn on his lamp.

Click.

Starfire felt her heart wrench tightly, and it felt more painful than anything she had ever needed to endure.

The _Sil'nar _hung on the wall, as it did before. But now it was shredded and torn apart.

Parts of it fell to the floor, and Starfire felt faint as she watched the pieces descend to the floor.

She felt weaker than ever before, and dropped on her knees.

The only thing she could register in her mind was the salty taste of her own tears.

---

* * *

**Closing notes**: Well, I wonder how that is. Give me some feedback. Need more stuff and reviews to get this woven with my ideas. 


	8. Frailty pt 7

Standard disclaimer of ownership and properties apply readily.

--**TT**

Chapter 7

--

Mornings always were a hassle for Professor Markowitz. He would wake up still half drowsy, crawl into his slippers, place on his murky red robes, and go into the kitchen to satisfy his caffeine needs.

Life wasn't too glamorous for this particular scientist, he had lived a normal childhood in the outskirts of Metropolis and went to a private boarding school at the age of fourteen through the social connections of his father. It was in that school he met his first and only romantic interest and soon to be girlfriend for the next nine years.

They had their times of fun and moments of glory. He was the patent genius and she was the beautiful pianist. They were both admired and looked up upon by their peers, and as they went into college, they strived to become even more.

However, Markowitz had soon discovered he was a born scientist, with the innate curiosity and drive to uncover, to invent, to understand. He worked hours and hours upon projects on various quantum physics experiments and theories. His drive eventually caught the eyes of S.T.A.R. Labs, and was soon drawn into another whirlpool of mysteries and experiments.

But things went astray. His longtime girlfriend became jaded by his obsessive inquiry into his projects and had left him. He then became even more devoted to his work and that ultimately led him to the expulsion from S.T.A.R. Labs.

The man sighed.

But that was all in the past now. None of it should matter anymore.

He tapped open his door, willing himself to reach the coffee brewer before his mind decides to collapse.

Markowitz silently watched the brewer rise and grind, whatever the hell it did.

He tightened his hold on his robe, slightly from the cold.

The coffee is prepared.

Treading to the washing machine, he grabbed a green mug, and shook it bit.

Markowitz grabbed the controller from the counter, minding that news would be something enjoyable.

He began pouring the coffee into the mug, sniffing the aroma.

He turned on the television.

Tooon!!!

"_-it would seem that a new crisis has befallen Jump City, as witnesses and victims of a widespread criminal activity have claimed. Authorities were only aware of a horrible travesty last night, in the entire region of the eastside of the city." _

Markowitz took a sip, muttering. "Crazy assholes. Why can't they all just move to Gotham, stay in that hellhole. Better yet, go to Bludhaven. The devil lives there."

"_The city museum was also attacked by what was described as 'shadow monsters', that had-"_

Markowitz managed to keep himself from dropping the mug, and roughly dropped it on the countertop.

"_-fought the Teen Titans while many civilians were under some sort of mind control. The police chief has also reported that many civilians were heavily injured, possibly by the assault of these unidentified creatures. Nothing more has been-"_

"Professor Markowitz."

Markowitz responded more to the surprise and eeriness of the voice.

He spun around with his hands gliding on the countertop, and pushed the mug to the floor.

CRACK!!!

The brown liquid expanded on the kitchen floor, coating the green shards of the mug.

"W-who!? Y-you're the T-titans, R-Robin!!! N-no, w-wait, are y-you?"

The Boy Wonder no longer sported the brightly colored uniform that was identified to the leader of the Titans. The outfit was black, grey, and a full body suit that covered him from the neck down. It held a peculiar luster that made it appear somewhat like an armor. The only familiar aspect of the boy's appearance was his mask, and the belt that glowed with the brimming powers of zinothium.

Robin cocked his head to look at the mug: broken.

_Nothing like the present, right?_

"It matters not." His voice held no malice, no acerbity, no enmity. But Markowitz found himself wishing that it did.

"W-what d-do you want!? N-no, h-how did y-you-"

"Tell me about Loki."

"H-huh!? H-how do you know that n-name!? W-who told y-you-"

Markowitz paused and looked at the television.

"_-behind all of this is yet unknown, but authorities have already made several assumptions and are in the process of questioning several suspects that are, oddly, already in prison. Inspector Sam Gilmour has also made an appearance, but has not made ant comments as of yet-"_

"No........"

Robin cranked his neck.

He raised his palm.

SHPOON!!!

A blast of red disposed of the electronic, creating an expected explosion.

BOOM!!

Markowitz saw that coming a mile away, but it was nerve wrecking nonetheless.

Robin placed his hand down gently, like he was directing a screen, and cranked his head at an odd angle to stare at the cowering man.

"Tell me about Loki."

Markowitz swallowed.

"I-I can't t-tell you. N-no, I s-should say t-that you d-don't want to kn-know."

Robin stared, and opened his mouth slightly, as if breathing. "Arnold Markowitz, current age 45, no marital status, though reports indicated a long-term relationship that was ended 13 years ago."

"W-what are you-"

"Born of a Protestant family, he had been familiar of the ideas and practices of religion, and also incorporated it into the theories of his experiments in the fields of astrology and physics."

Markowitz stiffened as he watched the boy address him, those eyes were that hid behind the mask were undoubtedly something he didn't want to see.

"His achievements and publishes had attracted the attentions of S.T.A.R. Labs, where he was recruited as one of its top research team."

So, he saw something else instead.

--TT

"_So, this is the famous S.T.A.R. Labs." _

"_It's kind of big, don't you think?"_

"_Of course it's big. It's the most prestigious company in the whole country, possibly the world!" _

"_Wow, I'm sooooo impressed." _

"_Yes, I love you too." _

"_Haha."_

--TT

"W-what!?"

Robin paused, as the man rubbed his eyes furiously.

The boy continued. "He worked on quantum physics, trying to elicit energy beyond dimensions. Details of the project are of yet unknown, except that it was aborted due to technical and personal problems with Markowitz and his coworker-Professor Gale Harbinger."

--TT

"_Guess this is my laboratory from now on."_

"_Actually, it's both of ours." _

"_Oh, excuse me. I didn't see you there. You must be Professor Harbinger. I have heard so much about you." _

"_Likewise, Professor Markowitz. I've read your article on quantum singularity and neutronic degeneracy pressure. And I have to say, I'm quite impressed." _

"_I-I, um, thank you. Professor Markowitz. H-ha, this coming from practically a representation of nanotechnology, is quite flattering." _

"_Hahahaha! Please, I don't need any more ass kissing, especially from a fellow innovator." _

"_A-as you say, Professor Harbinger." _

"_No need for that formality, just call me Gale." _

--TT

Markowitz's eyes were as wide as saucers and he backed away from the dark Robin clumsily.

Robin cocked his head to the side.

Markowitz stared in horror.

He blinked.

WHAM!!!

He found his chest heavy with pressure as Robin held him against the wall.

"In the end, their patented project was terminated, due to said personal issues. This was all ten years ago."

"G-gah!!" The man struggled.

Robin cocked his head to the other side.

"Harbinger had disappeared. Without a trace, his whereabouts were never discovered and the files within S.T.A.R. Labs regarding such information were destroyed."

--TT

"_W-what is that!?"_

"_Reeeeeeyiiiiiishhhhhh!!!!!"_

"_What in the hells!?"_

"_No! Get away from her!!!"_

"_Aaaaahhhh!!!!"_

--TT

Markowitz tried to talk, to scream, but he had not the lung capacity as of now. He struggled to free himself from the grasp by making awkward movements that could be seen as kicks, but they were futile.

Robin's masked eyes thinned. His first display of annoyance.

".........answer my question, Markowitz. What is Loki?"

The struggling scientist tried to cough, to no avail, and merely kept shaking and nodding his head.

Robin dropped him.

Markowitz heaved deep breaths of air, kneeling on the ground.

Several minutes passed as the feeble man drew and exhaled oxygen, while also trying to build up the courage to even speak.

The dark teen just stared at him.

Silence.

Markowitz tilted his upwards to look at the teen. Robin remained passive, but the look he held was coercing him to talk.

"I-It is t-the n-name of the result of our p-p-project."

Robin cocked his head to the side.

Markowitz leaned back against the wall, still sitting. He felt more secure if he was closer to the ground.

"Gale and I.......we tried to create a machine that could fuse my ideals with his research, an introduction to a new age of technology."

He took a few breaths, not looking at the teen.

"With h-his nanotechnology and my insight on quantum singularity, we had wanted to create a new energy source, through the bypass of normal physics. W-we, uh, wanted to manipulate black holes."

Robin had not blink as of yet, but his eyes now looked questioning.

"The machine to m-manipulate such a power was named 'Loki', s-simply because of the potentially immense power if the project was successful. And h-he was always did kind of studied Norse pantheon deities. Uh..ummm."

Markoqitz was reluctant to bring back the past, he had been hiding from it all these years, and now that he was forced to relive it, the bad habit of his hands trembling returned.

Robin had a fixed death glare on him, although by all accounts, it wasn't exactly a glare.

Markowitz shuddered.

"B-but everything went wrong on the day we made initiation. I-it had functioned properly throughout the primary molecular condense stages, until we accessed the pulsing stage..............s-something c-came out..."

--TT

"_HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"_

"_FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"_

"_SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEE!!!!"_

"_AAAARRGGHHHH!!!!"_

--TT

"I-it looked like a d-demon....I-I don't remember much. B-because...uh... I think I was unconscious...."

Robin breathed. "Demon........?"

"Y-yes, a demon. I-I don't know how else to describe it. I-it's true! I know it is! They told me I was hallucinating, b-but I know it's true! That gruesome, grotesque monster! I-I I'll never forget it! Devoid of life, a death reaper, that was what it was!"

Markowitz didn't know where his courage to shout came from.

"I-I don't know what happened after wards, I woke in the infirmary, and that's where they told me that nothing happened. They tried to convince me that it was all an illusion. B-but.......he changed, Gale changed."

Markowitz grabbed his head.

"When I regained my conscious, I went to talk to Gale. Loki was already d-disabled, and then he told me the project was scrapped! I asked him why, I asked him what happened, but he just told the same thing the others did! Telling me that none of what I saw happened!"

Markowitz was reliving the past.

"We barely talked afterwards. He became obsessed with dolls and jewels, a-and some sort of arcane! He was never seen without it! He would read it when he ate, when he talked, or even when he was at home! S.T.A.R. Labs fired him along with me, but he didn't care! I talked to him! But he didn't care! He didn't even listen to Moria!!!"

Robin cocked his head to the other side.

"Moria.....?"

"....his daughter. His only child. Y-you won't know about her because she was part of the incident, so her background was erased as well, call it an act of conspiracy if you will."

Robin listened.

".....we were then recruited by M.A.R.S., a branch that stemmed from S.T.A.R. Labs. One of the patrons there apparently decided to-"

"I know of its history. Keep this curt."

Markowitz gulped. "I-I told Gale the news, that M.A.R.S. wanted to hire us, hoping to get him back on his feet. And he d-did. He began getting back into the old spirits, and I thought everything was all right."

Markowitz paused, grabbing his knees hard.

He suddenly looked up. "He freaked on us! He remade Loki into some bizarre beacon of ghost and ghouls! I didn't even believe what I s-saw!!! Those shadow creatures!!! They came out of nowhere, tearing the flesh off of everyone in the entire company!!!"

He breathed harder and he grasped his head.

"N-no.....no.....! No......!"

Robin didn't care. "What happened to Harbinger?"

Markowitz continued his mind wreck, but heard the question.

".........he was k-killed. B-by a gun shot. S-straight through the head."

He looked at his hand.

"H-he fell right into Moria's arms.........s-she looked so shocked...."

Robin moved away slightly. "Where's Loki, right now?"

Markowitz looked aghast. "I-I don't know. After Gale was k-killed and the threat was cleaned up, I was almost faced with detention. They wanted to erase everything, keep the rumors enclosed. Nothing was supposed to Since I-I was the one who recommended him. T-they could have just destroyed it! They must have!!!"

The Boy Wonder moved around him, seemingly about to leave.

"Where's Moria?"

Markowitz was confused to why he would ask such a question.

"She's lost contact with me ever since Gale....."

Markowitz suddenly realized what Robin was asking.

"N-no! There's no way Moria is behind all of this! She doesn't have any access or knowledge of any of these things!! She was just there because she asked me to bring her along and see Gale! She didn't know about any those things! She couldn't have! She has nothing to do with any this!! P-please, leave her alone!"

Robin turned to him and bore his teeth.

Markowitz suddenly remembered his fear.

"Daddy's little girls and dooms day devices always like to make things vindictive."

He pointed his palm to Markowitz and a bright light of red flashed.

SHPOON!!!

Robin stared blankly before turning away and activating his cloaking device.

-------------------

There was no light.

No light at all.

Starfire always liked the light.

But there was no light now.

The smell of metal and electronics filled around her surroundings.

She didn't care.

The floor was hard and her legs were beginning to hurt from stiffness.

She didn't care.

The tears had dried and became plastered salts on her cheeks. She didn't wipe them off.

She didn't care.

She tightened her hold on the tattered _sil'nar. _

"_I'll finish this by myself." _

She gripped it harder.

_BOOM!!!_

She choked on a sob.

Her hands began to glow its green light.

She felt like she needed to blast something.

She simmered.

Muffled voices could be heard outside, blocked out by the door.

"......Robin......"

-------------TT

---------------

Jinx winced as Cyborg wrapped some bandages around her arm.

"Stop squirming, it's not making this easy."

"Your metal tips for fingers don't exactly make you the best nurse."

Cyborg smirked. "Glad to see you all spicy again. I thought you'd be shaken up."

Jinx narrowed her eyes a bit and pulled her arm away, checking it over.

"Thanks for your concern, but I'm a big girl."

Cyborg just turned his head away. "Yeah........."

Jinx observed him with her purple eyes. Cyborg was checking his status through the gauge on his arm, but his mind seemed absent and his eyes bland.

"You okay?"

Cyborg spared her a glance. "My systems are functional. Everything's just fine."

Jinx shook her head. "I meant: are you okay?"

She watched as the teen regained that banal look, slouching forward.

"Does everything look okay to you?"

Silence.

Jinx rubbed her bandaged arm. Cyborg wanted to scowl.

"Y-you know," Jinx began, "I should be happy about all this."

That got Cyborg's attention.

"I mean, the Titans are pretty much no more, with bird boy insane, and the city under attack, the H.I.V.E. might be able to put a foot into all of this. With Brother Blood's schemes, we should be in the business very quickly."

Cyborg knew what she was true, they once thought they could go on without Robin, but in the end, they just wanted him back more than ever.

"Once I go back to the headmaster and explain this whole thing, the H.I.V.E. will finally know what they're up against. And we could defeat a crippled Teen Titans rather easily."

Cyborg could feel a slight distemper rise in his throat.

Jinx closed her eyes. "But.........I'm not."

The android simmered and watched her with a bewildered eye.

"When Robin attacked me, don't flinch, I'm all right. When he attacked me, I saw all this ..........rage.......but there was sadness in him. An overwhelming amount of sadness. I saw it Cyborg."

She opened her eyes and stared straight at the human eye.

"Jinx, what are you-"

"Cyborg, listen to me. The bird brain isn't entirely lost. There's a chance for him, though I don't know how, to help him."

Cyborg sighed. "Of course, we all know that. We've been seeing this problem a mile away, we just didn't know what to do. So we did nothing, hoping for the best, and look where we ended up. One psychotic leader less, and four idiots still."

Jinx leered at him, a determined gleam in her eyes. "You're giving up too easily. I just said he still has hope. What? Do I need to type the words into your head?"

"Why are you even encouraging me? Don't you hate Robin for attacking you?"

"Do I hate you for attacking me before? No, we're having a nice conversation right here, on this unsanitary couch. Is that a pickle?"

Cyborg took a look. "Oh yeah, BB was trying to stop me from putting the pickles in my sandwich, thought he could take me away from my special 'ham supreme submarine'."

He chuckled a bit. "Sure showed that pickle smurf who da' man."

Jinx sighed. "Boys...."

Cyborg chuckled again, and turned to the girl beside him. "So what makes you so adamant about saving Robin? It's not in your best interest, if any at all."

The girl with the pink cotton hair remained silent, forming her next words.

"It......it's just something I know, okay? Just accept it as it is."

Cyborg now wondered more about Jinx's life than ever before.

"Jinx. What's making you swing this way? How did you become......what you are? Why are you in the H.I.V.E.?"

The girl was gripping the end of her clothes, eyes shut tight. Flashes of the past came haunting, taunting, and very daunting. She could remember the screams, the yells, the crying, the faces.

_She's a witch!!!_

_You're nothing but trouble, just get the hell out of here!!_

_The path will be filled with blood. _

......_die._

Cyborg frowned as he watched the girl shake with some unknown emotion, and immediately shook her out of her reverie.

"Jinx! Jinx! Girl, don't go freaking out on me like that!"

"Huh!? Hu......Cyborg." She gazed at him, bewildered.

Just as Cyborg was about to say more, his arm sounded.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"Huh? Who in hell...?" He accepted the call. A familiar face showed on the screen.

"_Hello, Cyborg. Remember me?" _

The teen android didn't expect this man to call him. "Mr. Gilmour? How did you-"

"_Robin gave me your frequencies a while back, when he helped me solve that murder case, said it's like an alternate communicator, since I'm not exactly a superhero like you kids." _

"Oh, right. Ummmm, how can I help you?" He said in a rather quizzical manner.

"_Well, I was hoping you can fill me in on all of this hellhole that's forming right in this city, so I was planning on dropping by later." _

"I suppose that's all right. Make sure to bring lots and lots of steel plated guts for this."

"_Actually, when I said 'later', I meant right now. Think of it as an impromptu interview or something." _

"What are you-"His security link picked up the image of a motor boat just outside the tower, on the beach.

"You really should be more polite."

"_This coming from a teenager? Don't confuse me with age differences now." _

Cyborg looked at Jinx. "Ummm, right now actually may not be a good time-"

Jinx stood up abruptly and began walking off.

"Uh! Hey, hang on a sec!" He looked at the screen on his arm and turned off the sound transmissions.

Jinx turned to him, and smiled. "I was leaving anyways. You do what you have to do."

".....you gonna be all right by yourself?"

"I'm a big girl."

"Well, you still look scrawny to me."

Jinx smirked. "You're going to pay for that the next time we meet, with Robin, right?"

Cyborg remained silent for a moment, before nodding.

They both held the gaze a little while longer, before Jinx departed the tower through the lower levels of the structure.

Cyborg watched the girl leave with an unreadable expression.

BEEP.

"Come on up."

-----------------

The changeling laid on the floor.

A breath.

A sigh.

He shuddered.

Gradually, he sat up, fingers pressed against his eyes.

Beast Boy glanced at the mirror box.

"H-hey.........sorry I can't go to see you. But things are like the Supreme Court out there. Crazy monsters and zombies, like I always told you about, remember?"

Silence.

"Oh man......oh god.......everything's gone loco......!!! You would probably want to be petrified.......with how unworldly the city is right now......!!"

He breathed.

"But I need you.......I need you so bad.........no one in the team is straight in the head... we found Star in Robin's room, after we got back.......I......I've never seen her like this........she's.......we thought she died......!!"

A heave.

"The entire world seems to be going downhill.......and we're accelerating fast! God.......I wish I could see you right now......I'm useless. I'm so damn useless!!!"

He pounded the ground.

"I failed you! I couldn't be there for you! Now I've failed Robin!! I couldn't help any of you! I can't do anything right!! I didn't .....give.....it my all! I'm like some rodeo clown, just I can't even get to the cow! I-I.......!!"

A second heave.

"Terra.......if you're up there somewhere.........please........please look after Robin."

-------------TT

"_Raven." I lifted my head in response to the voice._

"_Yes?" I answered as I quietly place down the book I was reading._

"_What are the teachings of the people of Avia?" _

_I raised an eyebrow. "The people of Avia?" As if the question was stupid. _

_She must have detected the tone, and she smiled. _

"_Just answer the question." _

"......_they believe in the infinite possibilities of mankind through the mind and in the soul. They worship the deity known as Pherleingod, a powerful being that could reshape reality itself." _

_She smiled. "Correct." _

_I remain seated. "Why the sudden question?" _

"_I merely wanted to test your memory. It has been a long time." _

_I nodded. "I suppose it has." _

_She turned to me, with a look of worry. "You must remember everything I have taught you. One day, it will become your greatest guides." _

_I nodded, again. "I know." _

_She smiled a knowing grin. "And I know. But you cannot be too careful. When you leave here, you will realize that." _

_I frowned, and pulled my book back up. _

"_Raven...?"_

_I felt troubled, wary. _

"_Raven..."_

_I turned away, and kept reading my book. _

"_I don't want to leave." _

_I couldn't see, but I knew she smiled. _

"_Raven. All lives have their own path in their journey, to have a purpose. The stars have shown the infinite number of paths, and yours is not here. You are to venture into the outside world, and fulfill your destiny, whatever that may be."_

_I hid my face more in the book. _

"......_I don't want to be alone." _

"_You won't be. You will have friends, people who will understand you. People who will help you, and you will help them in return." _

_I placed the book down, and looked at her. _

"_Friends........."_

_She watched me as I rolled the word on my tongue. I couldn't tell what she was thinking though, it seemed ambiguous. _

_I looked at the cover of the book in my hands, and saw the words 'Glyph of Orichalcum'. _

"_What do the stars say about my path?" _

_She looked sad. _

"........._journeys are hard and strenuous. Lives are not meant to be easy. Stories are to be told, but not in the least heartening. Beware the bond. Beware the soul. Beware the friend. Beware the heart. Beware the Muse. Beware the spear. Beware the rage. And......"_

"......_and......?"_

"............_beware the eye." _

Raven opened her eyes.

She blinked twice, trying to get her bearings.

A splitting head pain attacks her.

"Arrggghh......!!" She groans as she sits up and presses both hands to her head.

Silence reigned as she waited for the pain to subside.

Feeling a lot better, she looked around to realize that she was in her room.

The internal theme of her room was still the same: books, spells, gloomy, and creepy with what looked like a rendition of schizophrenics in Broadway.

"........I really should consider redecorating."

Pause.

"......Robin."

She got off the bed in a huff, and walked out her room.

Some voices could be heard, in the main room. So she walked carefully towards the sources.

Step, step.

Step, step.

Step, step.

Step, step.

Step, step.

"-old you it wasn't good news."

She peeked her face from the corner.

Cyborg was sitting on one of the couches, hands folded across his face, expression stern yet tired.

A man was sitting across the titanium teen. He wore a brown, thick coat and a pair of khaki pants. A white dress shirt showed with a green tie. His hair was dark brown and slicked back. He was tall and lean, and judging by his total appearance, he was probably around thirty to forty.

Raven recognized him as inspector Gilmour.

Cyborg just stared at the man.

Gilmour stared back.

A sigh.

"I expected as much. So, you have no idea what this whole thing is about?"

Cyborg shook his head. "Sorry, man, but this time, we're as much in the dark as you dudes are."

"I ......suppose I can agree."

Silence.

"Things never seemed so hopeless for you guys before, huh?"

Cyborg lowered his gaze.

"Not to mention these shadow fiends that came out of nowhere. Hell, I thought Jump went into some kind of freak zone when I woke up. My wife came screaming with the radio, scared shitless when she heard the new."

Gilmour scratched his chin.

"Well, it's been nice talking to you. I'll leave it to you relay the news to the others. Should I wish you luck?"

"As much as I want to say 'jimmy crack whore and I don't care', hell, yeah."

Gilmour stood up and picked up his hat, bowing slightly.

"I'll call you if anything else comes up."

Cyborg didn't even acknowledge Gilmour's leave.

"And I thought people who liked children's shows were more jovial folks."

Cyborg turned his head and saw Raven, now leaning on the wall.

"Hey, Rae, you're up. How ya feeling?"

Raven rubbed her temple a little.

"I've been better."

"And looked better."

"Which is the least I can ever say for you."

Cyborg grinned. "You're so cute....."

Raven narrowed her eyes, but chose to ignore it.

"Why was Gilmour here?"

Cyborg frowned. "He ummmm.....wanted to get some news flash."

"You should have rounded all of us here. Or you should have at least awoken me."

"I was thinking that. But you looked so peaceful in your sleep, couldn't wake you even if I tried to dump cold water on your head."

"Then I'll shove your own hands down your ass."

"Ouch."

Raven walked over and sat on the couch.

"So? Talk."

Cyborg placed both fists on his knees. "Dick Tracey called in earlier, and we had a chat. You know, like a discussion of urgent matters."

"Uh, huh."

"The museum is pretty damn much broken into Lego pieces. Property damage can buy us another tower. We've still got no freaking clue, except that there's a butler from hell involved and that underworld creatures are filling the streets! The only good news is, that no civilians were killed. Apparently, Robin didn't want to waste his time finishing them off!"

Cyborg tightened his fist.

"Raven. Why is everything going this way? What the hell is happening? What the hell happened to Robin?"

Silence.

Raven had no answer.

She didn't know what was going on, except that dark powers were at work.

She didn't know what was going on, except that there were shadow fiends.

She didn't know what was going on, except that their leader was now insane.

So, she decided to ask questions instead.

"Where's Starfire?"

Cyborg visibly grimaced. "She's in Robin's room. Hasn't left it since she went in."

Raven didn't look surprised.

"Beast Boy?"

"Oddly enough, he's in Terra's room. I think he always goes in there. We just never really noticed before."

Raven touched her heart, feeling all the pain and sorrow in the tower, congregating.

She thought the last question was redundant. "Jinx?"

He cranked his fists a little, shaking some mental joints loose.

"She left a while ago, after we patched her up a little. She seemed fine, just some scratches and bruises."

"I didn't ask that."

"Thought I'd fill you in."

Raven stood up abruptly, for no other purpose than feeling the need.

Cyborg checked his arm, for no other purpose than feeling the need.

"Where do you think Robin is?"

Raven found the question more answerable. "Out hunting for blood and information, the very bad way."

Cyborg shook. ".........he's gone rogue, again, Raven. And this time, there's no Slade that secretly inject us with nano-probes in our blood streams."

Raven closed her eyes.

"And you know what the ironic thing is? He's looking to fight and defeat the enemies, the criminals. He's just not doing it in a wholesome fashion. That's all. And now we have to stop him, because those actions now make him a criminal, a potential threat."

"Cyborg, what did Gilmour tell you?"

The questioned teen placed a hand firmly on his face, as if he wanted to create a dent in that human flesh of his.

".......Robin was seen at the harbor this early morning."

Raven felt the creeping sense of doom once again.

".....there was a ship transporting zinothium to the Wayne industries for relocation."

Raven bit her lip.

".....Robin gunhoed the entire ship and took like crates of zinothium."

Raven felt the blame and guilt eating at her.

"There wasn't an alarm because he also disabled some of the system functions before he left."

"This is all my fault..."

Cyborg looked at her, alerted. "What are you saying, Rae?"

"If I had just decided to help him, none of this would have happened. Maybe we could have done something, if I could just stand the fear..."

"Rae....!"

"Robin has gone rogue, and I'm to blame for this. If I just realized all this sooner, we would-"

Cyborg grasped her arms, stopping her ramblings. "Raven, stop this! This isn't what you do! I'm the one always blaming myself, not you!! You're supposed to be

objective, perceptive, composed! Please, don't do this me.... I won't know what to do if you go panicking on me..."

Raven absorbed his words and shook her head. "Y-You're right....we can't lose focus...or faith."

Cyborg smiled, albeit a sour one. "Thanks....."

Raven gave a bemused look. "You can move your hands now."

"Oh, uh, sorry."

Cyborg retracted his arms and the two sat on the couch in silence.

"Cyborg?"

"Yeah?"

"I-"

**_Warning! Warning! Warning! Warning! Warning!_**

Cyborg growled. "Robin.....!!"

His arm began beeping. He accepted the call.

Pssssssssssssssss.

"Cyborg. We have a rather interesting situation here at S.H.E.L.L."

The android looked surprised at the face of the other android.

"Fixit!? What's going on? You're calling from the lab."

He stated, while Raven went to process through the computer.

"Fixit, what's going on?!"

Fixit looked calm, as always, though the sounds of alarms and shouts could be heard from the transmission.

"I suppose I am not updated to the changes in the city, but I do know that the Teen Titans remain on the virtuous side of the society, correct?"

Cyborg didn't like where this was going towards. He looked to Raven.

She looked back at him with scrunched eyebrows and gritted teeth.

"Cyborg, I do not know the reason, but the facility is under attack by the young lad, Robin."

Before Cyborg or Raven could respond, a blur of purple and red flew past them.

"Starfire!!!"

The Tamaranian girl flew out through the roof and off towards the direction of what now appeared to be a magenta sun.

-------------TT

BOOM!

Guards and metal scraps flew across the entire compound, tinged and singed with a peculiar red glow.

Crates spilled amongst the floor of their contents, and most of them were now broken glass that illuminated the interior of the building, creating an inspiring piece of art with the battlefield.

Robin, in his dark suit and dark soul, appeared in the middle of the ground, after disabling his cloaking device.

He began walking slowly towards the most inner sanctum of the S.H.E.L.L. facility, looking for the core issue of this entire matter. Of course, not the core issue to

him.

An injured guard shakily brought his rifle to aim, He flinched when Robin looked directly at him, and cocked his head to the side.

"Uh.........uh......!!"

The guard fired.

Robin moved slightly to the side and the shot missed.

"Uhhhh....!!!"

The guard shot more rounds. Robin swiftly dodged them all, using the most minimum of movements.

He brought his hand up.

SPROOOON!!!

A gigantic ball of red impacted the guard and he was suddenly encased in a cesspool of unknown crimson substance.

Robin disregarded the man and continued walking.

-------------TT

He reached a gate, colossal and metallic, with a gigantic lock that could only be activated through a security bypass on the side.

Robin walked to the code board, and raised a finger.

"Robin."

The Boy Wonder turned to the voice, knowing who it is.

"Fixit." His first word since he arrived.

"What are you planning on doing?" His voice was calm and composed, showing no sign of reproach or fright.

Robin cocked his head to the side.

"Finishing this."

"Terminating appears to be the more appropriate term."

Robin cocked his head to the other side, and began a different conversation.

"Do you know what is inside that gate?"

Fixit observed the boy a few more moments and then scrutinized the gate.

"Yes. How did you know?"

Robin didn't answer, and resumed accessing through the date codes.

"Robin. What are your worries? What is your purpose? The goal in which you seek, is it so important that you must resort to this?"

Fixit indicated the broken warehouse.

Robin growled.

"I don't need anything else now. I know what I have to do. You have no idea what it means to be me, what I need to do, what I have to deal with everyday in my damn life. The best way to fight evil, is to attack with everything."

The gate begins to open.

"I won't let anything stop me. I've had enough."

"And the city? You would endanger what you should seek to protect? What of your friends?"

Robin growled. "Shut up before I burn the rest of your flesh."

The android closed his eyes in defeat.

Slowly, the tremendous metal gate parted, and allowed the first stream of fresh air in years to flow in the even more gigantic room.

Light began to fill as the protocol of the code accessed all the power reserves for illumination.

Robin expected to see a behemoth machine, one that would fill the descriptions of what he drew with Markowitz's words. Instead, he saw the most empty of a storage room.

There was nothing, just dust that had been accumulated over the years. Cob webs dominated every corner and even some leaves blew past Robin's face.

Robin and Fixit both narrowed their eyes.

From the shadows, a voice rang.

"Greetings, young master Robin. It is such a pleasure to finally meet you."

Robin took several steps forward, approaching the voice.

"Who are you?"

Albert appeared from the shadows, as daunting as the last time, with his monocle shining from the small amount of light. "Allow me to introduce myself, for I believe you have not heard of me as of yet. I am Albert Dunstan, a loyal servant to Mistress Hel."

Though he probably did not consciously realize at that instant, Robin was comparing Albert to Alfred.

Robin cocked his head to the side. "You mean....Moria Harbinger."

Albert smiled. "She does not enjoy being addressed as such. You see, it is a name that brings only bad memories. Besides, my mistress is no longer of this earthly world. She has become something much more, much, much more."

The Boy Wonder raised both his hands. "Where is Loki?" A red glow followed.

Albert took a step back. "I see. The infamous zinothium power. Your Red X escapades as well as certain other activities has already been noted by my mistress."

He took off his monocle. "Loki was relocated to my mistress' wish. It has been for some time. There was simply no one to notice. But, we have been expecting your arrival here for the short while when we have noted your existence."

-------------TT

Both men had ignored the biological android, and so Fixit took this opportunity to record the scene with his eyes.

He had decided to record some details before he ventured back into the labs to aid in vitalizing the facility.

The two men were emitting dangerous feelings that the android found alarming, and so he tried to contact Cyborg again.

_Psssssssssssssssss._

There was no transmission possible. Perhaps a electric field had occurred.

Fixit left the two to repair what he can.

-------------TT

Robin cocked his head to the side. "Expecting me?"

"Why yes. Have you not questioned the reason I have appeared here? My mistress wishes to meet you, face to face. She appears to be fond of you."

Robin leered at the man. "It seems every psycho has some bone to pick with me. I want some answers. What is its function? Just what does Harbinger want to use Loki for?"

The old man snickered. "I'm afraid you'll have to ask the mistress herself. I am not liable to relinquish such information. If you will only-"

Robin blasted a couple of red beams.

ROOOON! YOOOOO!!

Albert moved swiftly sideways, avoiding the beams. But he was moving so fast that it seemed as if his feet never moved.

The dark teen breathed. "As expected. You're not a simple lackey."

"I'm flattered. A praise from one such as you is quite the compliment. But you do understand that I am still not liable to speak without my mistress' permission."

"It doesn't matter to me, if you won't talk, then we'll just fight."

Robin vanished.

Albert grinned, his eyes glistering with a spirit of a youth that contrasts with his apparent age.

He leaped backwards, his shadows trailing much slower than he was moving.

Robin kicked from the top.

Albert parried it easily and performed a summersault kick in counter.

Robin gabbed that foot and tossed the old man upwards into the sky, following with multiple red blasts.

"Uh!!!" The butler managed to avoid both energy bolts through tricky maneuvering and landed on all fours.

"I see. You are as vicious as we have expected." A sudden impact to the back of the head sent the man flying.

Robin appeared. "What is this monster Markowitz spoke of?"

Albert did a flip to recover. "Ah, Professor Markowitz, how is the old chap? I hope you did not hurt him too much."

Robin scoffed and darted forward, while shooting red bolts.

The old man flipped and dodged sideways, all the while still on the alert for Robin's next attacks.

"Not even a chance to talk. The mistress was correct. You are vile indeed."

His answer was a swift kick to the face.

WHAM!!! He flew against the wall.

"Talk to the foot." Robin elbowed him in the gut.

"Uh!!!" He didn't have enough time to even finish his grunt before he was tossed into a grapple launch.

Robin landed him on the ground, then leaped into the air, intending to smash the man's head.

Albert disappeared.

The boy's feet created a small crater where a squished cranium should be.

FON!! Small pieces of rocks and sliver pebbles scattered across the ground.

The butler appeared from the shadows, again. "Ah......such demoniac fighting prowess. Your style has vastly differed from the days in Gotham."

Robin was in his face the very instant he finished his sentence, and threw a quick punch, but the man just vanished again.

Robin glared at every direction, searching for his prey. ..

He activated his cloaking technology.

WHAM!!! Robin and Albert both flew across into separate walls.

The Boy Wonder hitched himself up. "You're just something that needs to be eradicated. Like every other criminal, there is no right for you to live."

"And what of you? What will you do when evil is perished?"

Block. Hit. Parry. Block.

Robin carried through a punch and shot dozens of blasts.

BOOM!!

He cocked his head to the side. "I said I'll finish this."

Albert smirked. "I suppose I must face you with all my talents then."

He held his hand out, and a bo-staff appeared. It was retractable, just like the ones Slade and Robin used. The old man extended it and assumed a stance.

Robin didn't seem to care, and just stepped forward. The belt glowed strangely veritable.

He exhaled.

"RAH!!" He charged.

-----------TT

Starfire flew towards what she thought was the direction of S.H.E.L.L. She had exited Robin's room when she heard the alarm, having the same assumption as everyone else.

Robin was most likely on the loose, and she was determined to be there to stop him, either by words or by force.

The sky was peculiarly dark, though it was only about noon. The clouds appeared eerily similar to the thunder clouds days ago.

The girl could see the overwhelming amount of people on the streets. Many of them were police and medics. They were still cleaning up the mess that Robin had.....

She shook her head.

Starfire was determined to face Robin. Alone. She didn't want her friends to bear the hurt of fighting their leader again. She would do the righteous act, and put a stop to her best friend.

Of course, she constantly questioned her will to do so.

Raven and the others were probably on their way as well, and so she must hurry.

But the progression of events seem to be much faster.

Starfire felt a tremor on the ground.

She stopped, around where Robin and Kahn fought for the first time.

CRACK!!!!

The ground began shaking, causing the surroundings to tremble and the foundations to crack.

People were shouting and screaming, as the buildings and houses began crumbling from the effects.

Starfire immediately charged to save the civilians, taking priority.

A huge debris was about to fall on a family.

"Hya!!!!"

VOOOM!!! She blasted it to the side.

"It's Starfire!!!"

"Ya!! Dad!! It's the Titans!!!"

The father grabbed his sons. "That's right, and we want to thank her by living, okay?"

The parents then turned to the Tamaranian. "Thank you so much!!!"

Starfire shook her head. "Now is not the most convenient of times to be thanking! Please, hurry to safety!"

The family obliged and Starfire took off once more.

She had managed to rescue more people from the falling buildings and uplifted some to safer grounds from the earthquakes.

_What is happening!? _

As if answering her question, a flash of light dominated the city.

FLASH!!! FLASH!!!

"Uhh......!!!" Starfire and all the others covered their eyes.

The light died down, and the result of it was a black dome in the far side of town.

Moving forward, Starfire frowned. "That is the direction of the museum....."

Feeling slightly foolish for flying out by herself, leaving her friends in the tower, and even more so for leaving her communicator, she was dumbfounded by the choice of the next action.

The black dome was obviously something concocted from an evil source. Its glow was maleficent and baneful.

"_RfghhhhhhhhhhhheiiiCRAK!!!"_

Sounds of gory monsters filled the air. People on the ground began panicking and so did Starfire.

"What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?"

She knew there was no apparent choice, and so decided upon the task she set off to do.

"I must find Robin." She declared with much sorrow.

She flew off again, but another flash chorused the last.

FLASH!!!

-------------TT

WHAM!!!

Robin dropped to the ground, and his hand fired several zinothium blasts from damage release.

He instantly shot another shot upwards.

Albert tapped it to the side with his staff, and continue his descent.

SLAM!!!

Robin dodged to side, and flung a red disc.

The old man whirled away, flipping and leaping. "By George, you're a tough fellow."

Robin appeared from behind him. "They don't pay you enough for this."

FLASH!!!

"!!!!!!" Robin shut his eyes tight, wincing from the pain.

Albert took the chance to gain distance from the boy, seemingly unaffected by the flash of light.

"Is this.......?" He droned.

He suddenly stood straight, as if he was listening to something.

Robin had recovered and was pondering on the possibilities of the flash.

Albert nodded. "As you wish, my mistress."

Robin focused his attention on the man once more.

"Ever heard of cell phones?"

He mentally reminded himself that he should deactivate his belt, overusing it would cause the problem he was adamant in avoiding.

Albert snickered, and retracted his staff.

"It would seem that this fight must end. But, you would not accept such a lucid end, no?"

"I said: I'll finish this."

"Then so be it. My mistress is impatient of meeting you as well." The butler raised his hand, and everything turned pitch black.

"Do not be alarmed. You'll receive your chance to finish this."

The two faded into the shadows.

----------TT

Fixit was accessing visual contacts for the facility, trying to salvage any amount of power or electricity for usage.

"Reaction cores have been damaged by the tremors. Source is of yet unknown........."

Fixit glanced to the side panels.

"Detected energy output over maximum sensibility?"

His metal probes and wires extended from his head and fingers and entered the computer.

_**Analyzing.............detected..........visual data retrieved.**_

FLASH! FLASH!!

The sight of a black dome appeared.

Fixit scrutinized it.

"..........impossible."

FLASH!!! The facility blacked out.

-------------TT

Raven floated high in the sky.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were by the T-car.

"..........whoa."

They watched the sizzling black dome.

"Ummm.... Raven? Care to explain?" Beast Boy asked loudly.

The girl leered at him. "Always suspect the half-demon."

"What!? Did you say it's 'black dome season'!?"

"Well!?"

Cyborg was furiously working his communications. "Well, whatever all those freaky gyms are, they're probably the things that's messing with all the radio signals. I can't get any kind of transmission."

FLASH!! FLASH!!

The three covered their eyes.

Another dome appeared in the north.

"Three's a charm." Raven moaned.

The people were more alarmed than ever, and were already seeking refuge away from the clustering unknowns.

Raven sure as hell didn't know what those things were. In any effect, they were definitely something conjured by the new menace. But to what purpose and range, she had no clue.

"Hehehehehehehe."

A chuckle echoed from one of the rooftops and Raven's eyes traced to the source.

Raven gasped.

A man stood, laughing, and his left eye glowed brilliantly.

"Hehehehehehahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!"

Raven floated towards him. "You. You're that man Robin fought!"

Kahn didn't acknowledge her. He just stared past her, and continued laughing maniacally.

Raven floated a good cautious distance from Kahn, readying herself for any sudden moves.

FLASH!!

Kahn's eyes flared and he now leered straight at the girl.

"_But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,  
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.  
Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -  
Till I scarcely more than muttered Other friends have flown before -  
On the morrow will he leave me, as my hopes have flown before.'  
Then the bird said, Nevermore.'"_

"Hehehehehehe.......can't you relate?"

Raven glared. "Who are you?" She glanced at the red eye fleetingly, feeling the ominous powers radiating.

"You have that evil relic. What have you done to Robin!?"

"_Prophet!' said I, thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! -  
Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,  
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted -  
On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore -  
Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!'  
Quoth the raven, Nevermore.'!" _

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!!!" Raven summoned her powers and bound the man by his bandage like clothes.

"You better make some sense or I'll skew you."

Kahn grinned. "And the raven said, 'Nevermore'......"

FLASH!!!

"Ughh!"

Kahn used his brute strength to break free of Raven's powers. He jumped to another rooftop.

"Questions, questions. If you want answers, then you gotta work for it. Like that kid, Robin."

Raven floated closer. Her eyes shined with energy.

"You polluted his mind. You monster."

"Rather harsh words for our first meeting."

"Uggghh!!" Raven swung her hand and her powers turned into blades.

SWEEN! SWUUUN!!

Kahn leapt backwards to avoid being craved.

The building fell into clean cut pieces.

DOOON!! It fell to the ground.

Kahn's eye glowed.

"I don't know what you are, or where you got that abomination, but you're going to croak one way or another."

Kahn grinned. "Then follow me."

He took a big step backwards.

"If you want answers, then follow me. It's about time this party got started anyways. Look, even the beautiful weather agrees."

The clouds were beginning to congregate over the domes, spiraling into the dark matter.

The man's left eye blinked, for about a second. His shadow swirled and he disappeared.

Raven remained floating there, staring at the black domes.

"Yo!!! Raven!! Cyborg and Beast Boy flew up the building.

"What took you so long!? You didn't answer when we were yelling our butts off!!!"

Beast Boy morphed back. "Hey, something wrong?"

Silence.

The two boys frowned.

Then.....

FLASH!!!

A fourth dome appeared in the south.

"Okay. So those things are reproducing."

Raven stared at the direction of S.H.E.L.L.

"Cyborg, we need to get to Fixit. Hurry up and drive."

Beast Boy sniffed. "Hey, do you guys smell something."

"Wasn't me." Cyborg said automatically.

Raven sighed. "I don't smell anything, Beast Boy."

The changeling sniffed again. "No, I'm pretty darn tootan certain. There's some kind of iffy smelly thing."

Cyborg sniffed. "I don't smell nothing."

The air was becoming slightly misty and foggy. An odd color was beginning to saturate throughout the surroundings.

Raven concentrated. ".............!!!!"

Beast Boy coughed. "Holy shit!! I-it..it's-"

-------------TT

"-blood...." Starfire breathed.

After the fourth dome appeared, the city began to fall under the touch of foul entities. Stafire had expected to see the shadow fiends at any moment.

But whatever the enemy was planning, it seemed that destroying the city wasn't entailed. The civilians and other humans had apparently noticed the smell, and were reacting horribly to it. Some were already vomiting on the sidewalks.

Starfire could only hang her head in regret as she flew over them. There was nothing she could do for them now, except to finish this whole quickly.

_Then I'll finish this by myself. _

The girl winced. "I must end this. For the people and for Robin."

Nearing a speed that can break through sound barriers, Starfire arrived at S.H.E.L.L. Her landing created a slight dust devil.

She felt the pain once again as she saw the destruction the facility had suffered. Wires were sparkling with electricity. Shards of metal laid across the broken grounds. Red adhesive substances plastered everywhere.

Starfire recognized the red substances. They were the same as Red X's many weapons. She also felt a little sick, the color reminded her of the awful smell floating around her.

The Tamaranian flew over the battered grounds, keeping a keen eye out for anyone. She eventually reached Fixit's location, who was feverishly working on analyzing.

"Friend Fixit!!!" She landed next to the android.

"You are safe! How wondrous!! Please, you must escape!"

"Ah, it is the young Tamaranian female. I am glad to see you. Where are the others?"

Starfire shook her head. "They are not present! I have come to investigate on my own. I must.....stop Robin. Where is he!?"

Fixit retracted his mechanical inhibitors.

"I am afraid he is gone. I have long since lost his biometric signals. He was speaking with man. They had battled quite long before these black domes appeared. Then, they vanished, and I have yet been able to locate them."

"Robin had battled again? Tell me! Was it a man with an eye of the color red?"

"Negative. It was an aged man in formal attire."

Starfire tightened her fists. "Then that is the bad man at the museum! I must find them! We must fight these evil doers!"

Fixit turned back to the monitor. "Before you leave, I must speak to you about these occurrences." He indicated to the black domes, which seemed to be enlarging.

"I have seen them, outside in the city. What are they?"

Fixit tapped on the module, screening it into a different set of values.

"As absurd as this might sound. Those are quantum singularities."

The girl didn't really understand what she was hearing. "Quantum singularities! But black holes cannot exist in such form! The planet would immediately be devastated by such a strong magnitude of gravity!"

Fixit continued processing through the data.

"In addition. There seems to be something peculiar about these dense energy fields. Not only are they not behaving in a wormhole of extreme density, there are releasing energy."

Starfire watched the screen as the domes began expanding. The chard on the side showed the increase of released heat.

"This.....this is all very confounding."

Fixit pondered. "Miss Starfire. Do you know what 'Loki' is?"

She nodded upon hearing the name. "Yes! That is the term as well as the first clue Cyborg has obtained. Tell me, friend, what knowledge do you posses on this subject?"

"It is-"

"It seems I'm a little late...."

Starfire and Fixit both whirled to the uncomfortable voice.

BIN!! A red glow flowed from the darkness.

"Hehehe.....oh well. Not like I don't know where to look."

Starfire prepped her starbolts, radiating the strong heat in her hands. Her instincts warned her that the person was a foe. The ominous aura wasn't friendly.

Kahn entered the light casually, while sizing the android and the girl carelessly. His eyes showed immense amusement when they laid on Starfire.

"You're .......not human." He laughed, an insufferable laugh.

Starfire's eyes glowed emerald with her powers ignited.

"You! You are the cause of all this badness!" Without warning, she flew straight into Kahn's gut, and then blasted him with a starbolt.

ZIN!! "Gah!?" he leaped backwards in recovery.

She followed. "You have inflicted much grief upon Robin!"

WHAM!! Kahn flew over ten feet.

"Miss Starfire, stop!!" Fixit yelled, but the girl ignored him.

"You are to blame for all this ailment! All this depravity! All this malice!!!"

She charged her eyes and gave the man a full frontal Tamaranian assault.

ROOOOM!!!!

"Oooooohhhh!!!" The force caused the man to crash into the debris of the facility.

"Rrrrrah!" Starfire held both hands behind her.

ZIN! ZAP! ZIN! ZIN! ZAP! ZIN! ZAP! ZIN! ZAP! ZIN! ZAP! ZIN! ZIN! ZAP! ZIN! ZAP!

An impressive number of starbolts impacted the area where Kahn fell and now imploded together to create a huge explosion of green light.

Starfire observed the small crater in suspense.

Silence.

She descended to the ground, simmered.

Kahn rose from the debris, chuckling.

"Hehehehehe. You're quite strong, and fast. How I love fighting warrior races."

His face was bruised and bleeding from the crashes and starbolts. His right shoulder was singed and bleeding.

Starfire had attacked him on impulse, frustration, and anger. Robin's disposition had saddened her, but that sadness ultimately led to rage. It is the way of most negative emotions. One would somehow serve as a link to another. Starfire had basked herself in the most dire of misery, and when she had finally encountered the cause that created the reason for her sadness. The rage had swelled and was released all at once.

But that was not the way of Starfire, and nor the ways of her power. Her starbolts were now temporarily useless and her fighting spirit was gone. Anger had dissipated to give way for sadness once more. The fatigue from crying and constant torment of the mind had also contributed.

Kahn approached the girl, his red eye flaring.

"Miss Starfire!!" Fixit shouted, worried.

Starfire involuntarily gazed into the crimson orb.

--TT

"_Huy'rl mar poo'n Korian'dr." _

"_Lo'ty'f gour'glan ti tra buh'plo Komand'r." _

_--TT_

She blinked. Her green eyes widened.

--_TT_

_The image of looming shadows and rough voices. The scent of disinfectants permeated throughout the room, and hoards upon hoards of the desire of death filled her._

_--TT_

"Ah!" Starfire closed her eyes, and covered her head.

Fixit rushed, as fast as he could, in front of the Tamaranian. "I do not know who or what monstrosity composes into you, but leave this young female alone.....!!"

Kahn regarded the android, with that arrogant smirk.

"Hey, I think she attacked me first."

"From what I have heard, you have not done the Titans justice."

He scoffed. "Who are you? Their fairy godmother?"

Fixit's eyes glowed bright cyan. "Their friend."

The red eye was something beyond Fixit's comprehension. It was unnerving to stare into that orb of horrid light, but the android's mechanical composition seemed to offer him some resistance.

Kahn tilted his head to the side to look at the whimpering girl.

Fixit could only offer his body as a shield. "........"

Left eye vivid with crimson, Kahn closed it. "How's that?"

Fixit stared in slight disbelief. Why did this man just call peace so easily? What was up his intention? He seemed to have heard the unspoken question.

"Hey, Tamaranian chick. You want to see Robin?"

Starfire's head bolted upwards, eyes vibrant with emotions.

"Robin......?" She shakily began her rise, and stood firmly on her two feet.

She inhaled. She stepped around the android.

"Where is Robin?" Starfire asked, with a renewed spirit.

Kahn grinned. "Fortunately or unfortunately, he's most likely meeting the grand duchess by now, whatever the hell she wants with him."

"What does she want with Robin? What are these unpleasant happenings?"

"Hehehehehe..... that's the question of the century nowadays."

FLASH!!! FLASH!!!

Another tremor pulsed through the entire area. Fixit almost fell, if Starfire didn't hold him up.

Kahn grinned, with his left eye still closed. "Two more to go."

-------------TT

Dark. Black. Everything was black. Robin hated the darkness right now, but he remained calm.

Albert had disappeared, Robin couldn't feel his presence anymore. He also couldn't see anything, the darkness impairing his sight.

The surrounding reminded him of that horrid nightmare many days ago, where he supposedly met his evil counterpart. Or perhaps not, Robin more or less ceased rational thinking.

He cocked his head to the side. Waiting.

"_Hmmmhmmmmhehehehehe." _

He opened his eyes.

Faraway in the infinite void of darkness, he saw an approaching figure. A white, pure figure. It seemed as if the darkness was dispelled by this angelic figure, for the person was visible even through all pitch black.

The person got closer. Robin now noted long blonde hair and milky pale skin. It was a woman.

She got even closer. Robin stood.

He exhaled.

"_Hmmmhmmmmhehehehehe." _

_--_


	9. Frailty pt 8

Standard disclaimer of ownership and properties apply readily.

**--TT**

**Chapter 8**

--

**Kalakalakalakala!!!!**

The structure around them began to crumble. Falling pieces of debris cumulated around the floor, creating a small sand dune. The air still smelled of blood, and Kahn was rather pleased with it.

"Ahh.......such aroma. I never thought I'd be so blessed."

Starfire held a fastened glare on the man. "You are truly a despicable being."

The man grinned drunkenly, waving a dismissive hand.

"Whatever makes you feel righteous, I suppose. Why you so angry at me anyways?"

The girl was visibly clenching her fists, and her eyes regained the luster of the green glow.

"You.........are the reason all of this badness is happening! Robin has......because you......!"

Kahn just kept that insufferable grin on his lips. "Hehehehehehehe........maybe..."

Starfire repressed her anger consciously. There was no reason to fight the evil man right now, for he was probably the only one who actually knows what is occurring around the entire city. Besides, her condition didn't promise a high probability of victory.

Another tremor.

**Kalakalakalakalakala!!!!**

A huge piece of the ceiling crumbled and fell near Fixit, the force of the falling objects sent the android stumbling slightly off balance.

The Tamaranian girl knew none of them could stay in the crumbling any longer. She went to hoist Fixit.

"Friend! We must flee from this edifice! It is no longer secure!!!!"

"Agreed. We can leave through the underground passage ways. The front entrance is most likely demolished by R-"The android cut himself off.

Starfire gritted her teeth, and glared at Kahn once more.

"Do not escape!! You must entail an explanation of all this!! And inform me of the location of Robin!!!"

Kahn sighed, still looked intoxicated. "Fine. Whatever you're jabbering about. I'm not about to let the jocularity go anyways."

Starfire wasted no time and ceased to further converse with Kahn, and hoisted the organic android to begin their escape. With Fixit's navigations, they were soon to arrive at the outside.

-------------TT

"Moria Harbinger........."

The woman smiled warmly. "Robin. Boy Wonder of Gotham. We finally meet. I have been looking forward to this moment."

Robin calmly pulled himself up, hands at his side, but with a distinct hostility.

"I'll make you regret it."

Hel just giggled. "That is why I have removed your belt. It is source of your zinothium technology, no?"

Robin didn't seem to be surprised. "I knew you took it. It felt it during the teleportation." He got into a fighting stance. "But it doesn't matter to me. Nothing matters now. I'm going to finish this."

The woman floated away, shedding light like fairy dusts. "True. Everything shall be finished here, though perhaps not in the manner in which you are planning."

The boy loosened his stance, slightly. "What do you plan to do with Loki? What's its purpose?"

His eyes glowed a dim crimson glow. "Tell me or prepare to become a carcass."

Hel brought a finger to her lips, dabbing it in a pouting way.

"Awwwww. Can you not be slightly more amiable? We have just met and you are already so hostile. I do not want to see such a cute face all scrunched up."

She glided down.

"You wish to know? Then I'll tell you."

Robin sure as hell didn't expect her to talk so easily, but it didn't matter. Nothing really mattered. He cocked his head to the side.

".............................."

"Heeheehee. You are truly like me."

Robin cocked his head to the other side, and growled. "Like .........you!?"

He suddenly leapt and struck with his fingers, a technique intending to rip out the woman's throat.

She disappeared, and the boy only swiped at the darkness.

"Oooooo, murderous. That's quite appealing. Then again, I know of this already."

"Raahhh!!!!" He charged into the darkness and performed a swift gab kick.

Hel was grinning, though it could not be seen as her glow had already diminished. "Heehee. It is as I thought. You belong with us. You have the innate to be our ally. You have the instinct, the drive, and the hate to become the perfect-"

Her speech was ended by a hand grasping her throat.

"It doesn't matter. You're going to die." Robin looked at her absentmindedly, and squeezed, hard.

SNAP!!!

Robin felt the gooey texture of fluids and the sharp edge of bones, and began to loosen his grip. He couldn't.

"!!!???"

"We haven't even dated yet, and you're already trying to kill me. How aggressive." Hel's voice purred.

"Rah!!!" Robin tried to pull away, but to no avail. Hel's body began to glow once more, and the boy saw his hand amalgamated with the woman's broken neck.

"!!!????"

Hel's disconnected head smiled. "Heehee. Sorry, but you cannot kill **what is already dead**."

-------------TT

Starfire made a touch down and secured Fixit's safety on the borders of the fragmented grounds beyond the hills of S.H.E.L.L.

The tremors had done more damage than she and Fixit had anticipated. The buildings were already falling apart, and the split surface of the earth was creating a semi-prison for the citizens of Jump City.

The Tamaranian noted with apical of distaste that the scent of blood still permeated around the entire city.

She looked for the daunting man, seeing if he had escaped. She couldn't see him.

"Hehehehe.........up here."

She searched his voice and found him on the higher levels of the hills. Kahn leaped down, and moved towards the girl once he landed.

His drunken grin still hadn't left his face, and he was now holding both hands out in a maniacal and murderous manner.

Starfire resumed her glares, refusing to be intimidated by the psycho.

"I feel no fear of you. You will take me to Robin, now!!"

"Patience. Don't you want to wait for your friends?"

The girl flinched in realization. She had been so engrossed in the travesties and Robin's whereabouts, that she had forgotten her friends.

Starfire was debating between flying off to find the others, or remaining here so she could elicit answers from the evil man.

Kahn noticed her expression and grinned, with his left eye closed, and his right eye half closed in a dreamy look.

"Don't bother, they're here." He cranked his neck to look at the north side of the city. Starfire was cautious of his every move, but turned to the direction where he is looking.

Three figures showed in the distance.

"Star!!!" Beast Boy shouted and changed into a cheetah to dash to her faster.

"Beast Boy!!!" She shouted, happily, and rushed to hug the boy while he was still in animal form.

Raven and Cyborg came after. The large teen appeared very relieved to see their alien friend unharmed.

"Yo! Star! You had us all freaked out, girl! Don't fly off like that without at least honking!!!"

"Yeah, Star!" Beast Boy yelled as he changed into human form and backed away from the hug. "The city's like Residence Evil 1000! It's not safe out here without some kind of flamethrower!"

"Dude, she's got those laser beams, remember?"

"Don't ever disregard the flamethrower!!"

"Hey!! Fixit!!! You're okay!!"

"I am in good condition, thanks to the young Tamaranian."

Starfire was glad that her friends were safe. At least, all except one. She turned back to the culprit in mind.

Raven in the entire while, had her sole attention focused on Kahn, and did not give any regards to the others as of the time.

Kahn's attention also seemed to be on her, and he created that sickly, drunken smile of his.

"Hey, you came here just to see me? I'm sooooo flattered." His bent backwards and his backbones gave a popping sound. "Ouch."

Raven gave a slight glare. "Out of thousands of psychos, we just had to meet you."

"Well, I'm not complaining."

Cyborg and Beast Boy focused their attention on the two, moving forward as Starfire went in front of Raven.

"He is Kahn. He is the one who has contaminated Robin's mind. And he is the one who shall take us to Robin."

Cyborg glanced at the Tamaranian girl with a slightly concerned gaze. "Calm down, Star. We don't need you to go mental on us too."

The girl immediately whirled on the larger teen, eyes brimming with shock and sadness.

Cyborg returned a sad expression. Beast Boy came to the girl's other side, a sympathetic expression on his face.

The titanium teen tilted his head back to scrutinize the two people, who were in a rather Mexican standoff situation. He could feel Raven's power trembling. The grounds they stood on had slightly quaked, but not from another earthquake.

Kahn was becoming more and more amused as he measured the capabilities of the gothic girl before him, as well as the remaining of the Titans.

"Hehehehehe. What? You're all speechless now that your leader's gone to the 'dark side'?" He wanted to make air quotes.

Cyborg growled, and took several steps forward. "I don't know what the hell you've done to Robin, but I want some answers, and you better croak. Where is he? And what the hell is up with the entire city!?"

Kahn arched his body forwards, and sneered. "Are you kids parrots or something? You keep asking the same questions."

"And you have answered none." Starfire deadpanned, stepping forwards as well.

Beast Boy followed. "I don't know really know what's going on, but I thinks we should get some of those million dollar answers now."

Kahn chuckled, and his left eye began to open slightly, the red glow escaping.

"!!!!" Starfire went on guard, her starbolts began charge in her hands and in her eyes.

Although they haven't met the man or experienced the power of the crimson eye as of yet, Cyborg and Beast Boy knew by instinct that the red glow was dangerous.

Cyborg armed his cannon. "Fixit, get away from here. I don't like how this looks."

Fixit nodded mutely and backed away, retreating into the terminals of what remained of S.H.E.L.L. in hopes of rebooting the systems.

Beast Boy morphed into a tiger and posed his claws and teeth ready. He roared, trying at least to gain an imposing appearance.

Kahn's left hand twitched. He clenched it, and gave another lopsided grin. The teens were sending off hostility, and he liked it, so very much. He glanced at Raven, who had her eyes closed.

"?"

Kahn's smirk disappeared. He arched his body back, while his shoulders gave some popping sounds.

Cyborg winced. "Uhhhh......he's kinda flexible."

Starfire had also noticed Raven's debonair, and waited patiently for her to collect the words she needed to speak.

Raven breathed. She opened her eyes, and pulled her hood back.

".........I met a traveler from an antique land......"

"!!!!????"

"Uh......Raven?"

".........who said: two vast and truckless legs of stone. Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, and wrinkled lip........."

Starfire listened intently, searching for the meaning of the words. Beast Boy appeared like a confused feline.

".........and sneer of cold command, tell that its sculptor well those passions read, which yet survive, stamped on those lifeless things. The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed. And on the pedestal these words appear: **My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair!**"

Kahn slowly regained his sickly grin.

"Nothing beside remains. Round the decay of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare the lone and level sands stretch far away." She finished.

Cyborg frowned. "Raven, I don't think it's a good time for poetry recital. Unless this guy is one of your depressing café pals."

Raven ignored him and narrowed her eyes on the snickering man.

".........that is the Eye of Ozymandias. A forgotten relic of an ancient megalomaniac."

Clapping.

"Hahahahahahahahaha!!!! By the lords of Corsell!! You got it!!! I can't believe you got it!!!! Wahahahahahahaha!!!!" He arched backwards as he laughed.

Starfire frowned, feeling irritated by the constant delay in looking for Robin. Cyborg felt the urge to shoot the man where he stood. Beast Boy was just tired of being constantly freaked out.

".....hehehehehe...." His laughter died down, and his left eye flared. "I really have to commemorate on your absolutely surprising knowledge. It's.........pleasant."

Raven felt a surge of energy gather around the man's ankles, slowly making its way to his hands. It was more or less an aura, only detectable by ones who dealt with aura. But though the aura was strong and formidable, Raven could only sense the embodiment of brutality within that power. It was a power that didn't contain compassion. It had no hesitation, no reluctance. That is the reason the man could wield the power of the Eye of Ozymandias.

Kahn smiled suddenly, not a smirk, a grin, it was a smile. Raven arched her eyebrows.

"..................che." He spat.

"Now, wou-"

"Please, what are these spheres of blackness?" Starfire interjected Raven. "They are most ominous. They are not of this world, no?" The question was directed at both Raven and Kahn.

She nodded her affirmative.

"I really don't like the sound of this." Cyborg groaned.

Beast Boy tensed, but changed back into human. "Duh, we can kind of tell with the whole blacky goodness those whatever-they-are keep dishing out!" He pinched his nose. "Ahn da shetty sbell!!!"

Starfire addressed Kahn directly this time. "Just what are these ill phenomenon!!? The spheres!? The scent of blood!? Robin!?"

The man cranked his neck. "Hehehehehehe. You know, you don't have to ask me that." He smirked in Raven's direction. "She knows a lot more than what she's letting off."

"Raven?"

"...................................."

"Hehehehe......you know well what all these are."

Another tremor coursed through the grounds, causing the surrounding debris to shake and tremble.

Starfire remembered what he mumbled before. "You have said there were 'two more to go'. Is that an implication that there are to be seven of these spheres? There is no more time to squander, we must receive answers!"

"Hehe.........they're soul spheres." Kahn answered, and walked over to a boulder and sat down.

"Soul spheres?" Cyborg inched forward.

"Yes......" Raven breathed. "......soul spheres. I knew this the moment the scent of blood permeated around the city."

"Why is that?" Beast Boy asked, and immediately plugged his nostrils again.

".........it's the scent of the one who's in those spheres."

"!!!!????"

-------------TT

Inspector Gilmour rounded the corner.

"Phe. Not a damn thing. Just what the hell's going on around here? And I thought transferring to a city with superheroes was gonna make life easier."

He looked at the gigantic black domes.

"Just what are those?"

_Psssssssss!!! _"_Gilmour! Are you there!? We've got a huge issue over here!_"

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm here. What's going on?"

"_It's hell over here, dammit!! Everyone's gone loco!! We've lost contact with division C and D, ever since they said that division B started firing on them!_"

The inspector narrowed his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about? Division B fired on the others!? You're not shitting this are you!?"

"_I wish I was, dammit!!! Something's seriously not in the norm of normality here! I've already pulled the men out! But some of them rushed right back in! Just what the hell is going on!?_"

Gilmour placed the communicator down. The black domes seemed to be increasing in size.

"What in the devil........."

-------------TT

Hel's body, or at least what was presumed as her body, had liquefied and became a tangle of flesh and trapped Robin's movements. The boy struggled furiously, squashing the disgusting organisms around him with his hands and feet, but remain entangled in Hel's freakish transformation.

"Raaaaghhhh!!!!"

"Heehee..." Hel's head giggled on the black ground. "You're cute when you're mad."

"You monster. I'll rip you to shreds."

"Hmmmm.........that murderous glint in your eyes......it's rather enticing."

Robin continued to wrestle with the abomination, but found it useless, and so he ceased, and chose to glare at the woman's head, while still processing any methods of escape.

"Hmmm......done having that tantrum? Want me to fill you in now?"

Robin cocked his head to the side, and exhaled. "..................what is Loki?"

Hel smiled. Parts of the flesh goo detached from the main pile and crawled over to the head. Robin watched as the flesh mended with Hel's head and created what could be described as a tripod for the head to sit on.

"Much better. Now I can look at you in the eyes."

The Boy Wonder growled. "I've met countless freaks before, but what the hell are you?"

Hel smirked. "I'm the embodiment of the greatest entity this entire world will ever face."

"????"

"Loki.........you should already know the answer. You did interrogate Mr. Markowitz, did you not? I do hope you haven't mutilated him or damaged him badly. He was my father's good friend, and was an uncle to me."

"You don't care. Otherwise your butler would have been there to stop me."

Hel batted her eyes. "Who is to say? You were much more resourceful than we had anticipated. And much more compatible with me than anyone in this entire city."

"Raaaa!!! Stop saying that!!!" Robin tried to charge to the woman's head, but was only able to close a few inches in distance.

"Hmmm......did I hit a sore spot? You were so calm when you fought Albert. That rage of yours is most different now, but that is why I chose you."

Robin's eyes narrowed. "Chose?"

"Yes. Chose. Heeheehee. You did not think I would bring you here just to kill you, now, did you?"

"**I** came here to kill you......"

"Yes, well, we have different goals as of yet, but hopefully that will change." Hel tilted her head, and Albert's voice echoed throughout the darkness.

"_Mistress. What is your bidding_?"

"Albert, please inform me on the progress."

"_Yes, mistress. The soul spheres are one shy of completion. Enkindling is almost at hand._"

"Enkindling......!??" The boy pondered.

Smiling, Hel announced her satisfaction. "Yes, perfect. And......how is our new guest's friends faring?"

"!!!!!"

"_Their whereabouts are unknown. The soul spheres have disrupted not only the city's functions, but have disabled our search abilities as well. The shadow fiends cannot travel when the spheres are in their consumption stages." _

Hel pouted. "I suppose it cannot be helped. But, please, Albert, try looking out for those children. I'm sure they would be searching for their cute leader."

"_But of course, my mistress_."

Hel tilted her head back to the glaring teen, and smiled cheekily. "Are you anxious to know what is transpiring even now? What the H.I.V.E. was hired to do? The purpose of Loki? A so-called abomination by those impudent fools!?"

"Gale Harbinger........." Robin mumbled.

Hel appeared surprised, and her smile disappeared.

".........Loki and Harbinger......death........."

"..........................."

"Soul spheres. It connects, however bizarre and illogical. Loki, it's for...........?"

He thought some more, and his eyes widened. "You call yourself Hel, the daughter of the dark deity, Loki.........soul spheres.........!!!!!!"

Robin looked to her, his expression unreadable.

".........Harbinger and Loki are......!!!"

"......heehee, I said you and I are alike, no? My, you are very bright. A true detective."

FLASH!!!

"Arrgh!!!"

All the flesh around Robin dissipated and congregated back to Hel, instantly forming her body once more, magically with the nightgown she had on beforehand.

"Loki is the final evolution of mankind. It can bring about the greatest development for the weak and frail thing known as human nature." Hel began her little speech, abandoning her previous pseudo-warm hospitality.

"What my father wished to do initially, became something even grander! A new energy source for the people!? Merely an illusion that will soon fade. My father had modified Loki to become the embodiment of what humans revere: absolute power and freedom. You have seen the shadow fiends, have you not? They are not mere conjured beings from magic trinkets, they are the future of mankind. They represent the dark desires of every person on this plane of existence."

Robin got back up, and cranked his head. "A monster dreamer and a psychotic daughter. Fantastic."

Hel ignored him. "As you have now deducted, my father's soul has now been contained in that wondrous machine, waiting to be released. So his desires for the betterment of mankind can be fulfilled. Loki will allow every man to be able to express themselves to the fullest. I will prevail with my father's wishes, and see that Loki, no, my father, can be able to carry his dreams to the fullest."

She turned to the boy. "The H.I.V.E. was commissioned to retrieve the vast data that was required to repair Loki, for it was damaged beyond recognition. The fools did not destroy the blue prints for the project, perhaps hoping to reconstruct it as a powerful weapon someday. Hahahaha......pure imbeciles."

"What about the jewels? The robberies? Was that part of your infamous machination?" The boy asked.

The woman spun in the air. "That! Was just a sample of the active transpiration of man's desire! To steal, to take, to do what is in their desires! It is the goal of every man at one point or another. You can definitely relate."

Robin bore his teeth.

"And now you shall aid me in this quest, for you are one of us. The darkest of souls, that holds a boundless innate of glory."

"Poetic. I've said this many times already, I'll finish this." He began looking for a method of combat. Now that his belt was removed, he lacked the power for mass combat, and his physical attacks were useless against her.

Hel smiled, and glowed brightly.

"!!!???"

"Dear, dear Robin. Do you not recognize this place? This darkness is not my doing."

Robin growled. "What the hell are you tal-"

_It's been about you, it's always been about you._

"Huh!?" He whirled around.

_The boundaries between the light and the dark, it is very, very, very ambiguous. _

"Are you hearing things, dear Robin? If so, it is only yourself that is doing the haunting."

Robin didn't hear her, he had forgotten her presence entirely. The void, the darkness, the fear was crawling back to him. His senses became in tune once more. His sanity was mending, but only because then will he be able to feel the fear once more.

"Raaaahhh!!!! **SHUT UP**!!! I don't need this now, not ever! Don't talk to me!!!"

Hel smiled, and her glow died out.

Robin was left alone in the darkness.

-------------TT

"You mean there's somebody in those things?" Beast Boy asked as he tried to breathe normally, but the offending smell of blood was disgusting to him as a human and as a vegetarian.

"Uwahhhrrr...!!! Gross!!!"

"Who is it, Raven? And why is the air full of the nasty of scents?"

Raven looked to the man who was sitting on the rocks. Feeling her gaze, he turned his head to gaze back with a smirk.

"Most likely because the person died when his soul became part of those spheres."

Silence.

"That doesn't make sense."

"What makes you think any of this does?"

"Well, what about that Eye of Ozy-something, what the heck is up with that?"

Cyborg answered that. "Raven said it was some sort of relic that has all this massive non-holy dark magic. Which spells 'oh shit' in my book."

"Okay......so how did he get it?"

Raven shook her head. "These are all inconsequential as of now. We have to find the source of all of this. It's too late to stop the last soul sphere from manifesting."

Starfire nodded her head. "Perhaps we shall discover Robin when we find this originator of badness."

"Well, what are we waiting for!? Let's go kick some monster ass!!!" Cyborg shouted.

"Rite wid ya boddy!!!"

"Any idea where to go?"

"Hell no."

Starfire walked to the man, who was now counting the number of small pebbles near his feet.

"You said you were to direct I and my friends to Robin's location. You are not betraying that offer, I do hope."

Kahn smirked, his left eye brightly shining. "Hehe. Fine. So I guess you kids decided to find out the rest of the facts later, eh?"

Cyborg stood forward. "We need to deal with the menace first. Shoot first, ask questions later."

The fighter chuckled. "I hope you can back your words later, tin man."

Cyborg clenched his fist. "With an iron fist, baby."

"Heh, very well. Keep up then." Kahn began walking off, waiting for them to get ready and follow.

"Uhhhh, one quick question, guys." Beast Boy asked, as he got between his friends. "We're letting this creepy dude help us now?"

They all looked displeased, but there was no other choice.

"Believe me, I'd rather pulverize him than collaborate with that weirdo. But he's the only one who knows what's really going on, besides Raven, of course." Cyborg emphasized his words to Raven.

"Don't give me that look. I didn't know for certain before we got here. I only had hunches on everything, but no concrete answers."

"What's up with the Eye of whatever? It makes him look like a left eye buddy with Cy."

"We-"

FLASH!!!

The teens shielded their eyes from the bright light. The final dome is actually close to the tower.

"Aw, damn. There goes the last one."

"Just what does that do, exactly?"

"Friends! We have no more time to squabble and explain! We must seek this evil doer, and stop his evil plots!"

Cyborg nodded. "All right, then. Kahn! The Titans are gonna follow ya! You better not be setting something up!"

Kahn regained that drunken smile of his. "Don't worry. I have my own agenda. Besides, I'm not through with any of you."

Beast Boy gulped. "Okay, I really don't know what's going on anymore."

Raven remained silent.

Starfire floated into the air. "That will remain to be seen. Now, guide."

-------------TT

Hel watched in the corner of the darkness. She watched the turmoil that Robin suffered in his nightmare days ago, and she felt the anguish in the boy's heart.

"Yes, Robin. This darkness is your own soul, your own thoughts. When this had become, I do not know, but it is quite the décor."

"_You seek freedom! You want nothing more than to become your own self! Mom and dad would have wanted it this way!!"_

"Shut up!!!!"

"I have done nothing beyond bringing us into your own plane of existence. This is the barest of your soul."

"_This is where we belong! The darkness! It is where our abilities shine! You can feel it, even if you constantly deny it!!!"_

"I don't believe any of this!! It's an illusion!"

"Heehee. What is it that you fear and desire? You must listen to yourself once in awhile to understand."

"_We're through being weak! And we've become strong now that we've let go of that limitation that comes with being a hero! A more step left! We just have to accept the entirety of ourselves!" _

"Rahh.........gah!"

"Humans are so frail......they're weak and selfish. Not knowing when to let go and when to hold on. It's despicable."

"_Freedom, dammit! I want to be able to be me! To do what I want! When I want! It's our nature that we should be this way! The forbidden boundaries that we constantly remind ourselves not to tread upon! We must endow ourselves with that freedom!"_

Robin bit his lip and clenched his fists.

Hel smiled, and allowed the boy's own thoughts to crush him. Her eyes slowly became murkily black, and her blonde hair mended with the darkness.

"_Say what you want! Feel the raw emotions! I can feel it, and so can you!"_

"Raaaahhhh!!! I hate you!!! Shut up!!! I hate you!!!" The boy thrashed around, trying to find something to grasp on.

_Images of Gotham flashes in the Boy Wonder's mind. _

"I hate that city! It's been nothing but pain! The Joker! Two Face! I hate them all! I wish I could kill them! End their inane existence!!"

_Shadows from a spotlight of two people, falling from a great height._

"I hate death! I want to transcend it! It's inconsequential to the strong! I want to be strong! I hate feeling human! I hate being weak! I want to feel....!!"

_The shadow of a bat. _

"I don't want to remember! I want to get away! To do things my way!! Constantly doubting myself! Always being in the shadows!!"

_Slade's broken mask._

"I HATE YOU! Slade! I hate you so god damn much!! You used me! You threatened me with my friends!!! You killed Terra!!! You made me hurt the others!!! And when you should be dead, you still almost kill me!! Why!? Dammit!!! I hate you!!"

_The face of Red X, as well as the faces of all the other Titans, disappointed or upset. _

"Who the hell do you think you are!? You're just a reflection of what I created!!! I hate that mistake!! I have to constantly live with it!!! And I can't escape what I've done! It's a mark, a damn mark!!"

Robin shouted more and more as the images keep flashing, gauging his emotions, letting him feel the full force of what is truly dangerous and painful.

"Damn you Slade!!! I hope you're not dead, so I can kill you!"

_The image of Starfire, turning away, eyes closed and expression sad. The image of the Titans, all disappointed._

"!!!!!"

His breathing was erratic the whole time, but only until this moment did he felt the repercussion catch up to him.

"Hah......! D-don't turn a-away from me......! I can't .........RAAAAGGHHHHH!!!!"

The boy thrashed around indefinitely, wanting to harm himself. But the void had nothing for him to grasp on to, only the deadly memories and images. Reality seemed to be scarce, and so the visions of darkness are in surplus.

Hel's appearance was slowly changing the entire time. Her form was becoming dark and

She enjoyed Robin's outbursts and insane ramblings, watching the teen feel the ramifications of his own darkness was appealing. She felt the draw to him becoming stronger, and the bind of his soul to the mind weaken.

Robin began pounding the ground endlessly. It was strange enough that there was even a ground in the endless darkness, but the fact that vibrations spread from the impacts made the situation even more peculiar.

Several minutes passed as Robin just released all of his frustrations and hate to his surroundings, but since there was nothing around, there was no true outlet. So the voices and sounds only became stronger. In the end, he froze.

"................................."

Hel floated over to the silent boy, and placed a hand on his head.

"Heeheehee.........how are we feeling?"

"....................."

"You wish for release......and now you shall receive the means. Receive this nectar of life........."

Black shrouds stemmed from her glowing person. They were like clouds of a sickly darkness, as a shadow with its own mind. Hel's now black eyes thickened in shade. The shrouds and the shadows merged.

A pair of red eyes showed in those shrouds, and slowly made its way to the Boy Wonder, who was still kneeling and silent.

"And so you become one of the chosen." Hel smiled, and her skin became ghostly white.

Robin was enveloped in the fogs of evil and darkness. He didn't resist.

His hands twitched. He shuddered. He inhaled. He exhaled.

"_I'm tired......just let me rest......" _

-------------TT

Starfire kept her eyes locked onto the man running on the ground. He was fast, extremely fast, she admitted. She had to strain herself slightly just to maintain the distance between them.

The others of course didn't have neither of the two's speed, and were falling behind. But Cyborg had thought ahead, and gave Starfire a locator so they could catch up to them if they separated through some unexpected means.

The Tamaranian girl saw that they were passing one of the soul spheres. Its black oozing appearance made her uncomfortable, as well as the strong smell of blood that was now apparently stronger in short distances.

Most of the civilians seemed to have been evacuated, and only some police along with some special forces remained, equipped with full body protections.

Starfire would normally fly down and warn those people of the potential danger threatening the entire city was under, but there was just no time. She refocused herself on following Kahn.

As she continued to fly in Kahn's direction, she noticed that they were beginning to reach the outskirts of the city. Fields and trees were seen, meaning they were in the most southern part of the city, although it may not be considered to be part of Jump.

They reached what looked like a wheat field, where nothing but the golden yellow plants grew to be seen. Nothing out of the ordinary was there, but that was where Kahn came to an abrupt halt.

Starfire landed promptly behind the man. "Why have you ceased movement? There is nothing here."

Kahn gave a small grin, his left eye flashed slightly red. "That's because they don't want to be seen."

"What do you mean?"

"Simple lesson in magic: when you want to hide something, you make a magical seal. Turns things invisible, and oddly enough, makes them untouchable."

The girl skimmed the surroundings, but could not see anything beyond the trees and the tall stems of wheat. She looked at him expectantly.

"If this seal renders objects intangible, then you may simply destroy it. Raven has identified your relic s source of power."

Grinning, Kahn replied. "Sorry, lady, but I can't disable this seal."

Starfire narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean to convey? You have brought us here in the means to confront the source of evil, did you not? Yet you cannot decipher this seal?"

"Che, I said I can't, but I just found someone who can."

"Someone you just discovered......?" She studied the man's grin, and the Eye of Ozymandias that glowed with a hidden intention.

"You mean-"

"He needs my powers to destroy the seal." Raven said as she landed next to Starfire. "All this time, you made us believe only you had the knowledge and the means to deal with this mistress, when it was because you needed our help as well."

Kahn chuckled, and licked his lips.

"He's quite the asshole, ain't he?" Cyborg commented as Beast Boy brought the two down.

"So you're saying we could've just trampled our way here, instead of having captain creepo over there take us on the tour of hell?"

Cyborg felt like powering his sonic cannon. "That also means we can just waste him here. We don't need his stupid assistance anymore."

Starfire shook her head. "I am also of the displeasing feeling of this _klor-back_, but we may require his strength in combat. He is......extremely powerful."

"Hehehehe......listen to the good Tamaranian girl there, big guy. You don't want to mess with me. Ask Robin." He chuckled some more when Starfire gave him a very nasty glare for that remark.

Raven floated to the left side of Kahn, a daring act to everyone else.

"You can't break the seal because you can't tap into the full power of that relic. If you do, it will most likely overtake your spirit. So you kept your intake from the Eye at a bare minimum. Thus, you needed a spellcaster to deal with this." She lifted her hands.

"Azarath! Metrion! Zinthos!"

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

The black energies of Raven's powers and her spells mended together, creating a small vortex that spread across the entire field. Sparks flew until pieces of images of a house began to appear. As the bright flashes died down, a mansion was revealed amongst the endless fields of wheat.

Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy all gaped in amazement. Beast Boy gripped his hair.

"Ooooooo!!! I can't understand all the science stuff, now I can't even begin to know what the heck's going on with this magic thingy!"

"That mansion was here the whole time!? Why couldn't my scanners pick up on it!? Magic or no magic, my scanners still should be able to detect its molecular presence!!"

Kahn moved towards the mansion, waving a hand for the Titans to follow. He didn't seem too pleased with Raven's previous elaboration on the situation.

"This is the most basic of concealment magics." Raven began to explain as they followed the man. "Whenever my guardians and teachers back at Azarath didn't want me to see something, they'd always use some spells like this. No matter how hard I'd try to see, I was never able to."

Kahn continued her explanation. "Hehehe......but these spells can be broken easily, once the correct method is used. After some other magic dispels the front, we just have to go through, it's like a maze."

"Which is the reason you have tempted us to follow so Raven could aid you." Starfire concluded.

"More or less. What's with the nasty looks? Hehehehehe......"

"Wait a minute! So we haven't broken the whole seal yet?"

"No," Raven replied to Beast Boy, "like he said, we still have to go through the entire seal. But it should be simple."

Cyborg checked his scanner. "Yeah, and probably full of benevolent monsters too."

Raven nodded. "They probably know we're here."

"Probably!?" Beast Boy yelled. "The bad guys always know when the good guys are at their lairs! It's how it works!"

"So it's a trap."

"Regardless." Starfire said firmly. "We must enter."

The others could only agree as they reached the door. Kahn smiled, and reached for the door, and pulled. It didn't budge.

"Che. I guess this is how they want to do this stupid seal."

"Huh? What's-"

A wormhole suddenly began to form on the door, expanding until it consumed the entire door itself.

A pause.

"I guess that's our invitation." Cyborg said and moved closer to inspect.

"Oh, man. I so don't want to go in there. It's probably crawling with all those bitey shadow creepies from Lord of the Rings."

"Huh? I didn't see any shadow fiends in that movie."

"Hello? The Witch King? Now that was some righteous creature from hell."

"Yeah, one that got beaten by a chick."

"I say it's a cheap propaganda for feminists."

"Please, may we disregard the debate over insignificant aspects of motion pictures? We must make haste."

"Starfire's right. We need to get going you two nerd balls."

Kahn laughed, his long hair flailing in the setting sun. "Hahahahahaha!!! You kids are so amusing! Do you even know what's about to happen!?"

He continued laughing as he took one step into the wormhole.

"Hey! Hey!?"

He turned around. "See you on the other side. Make sure to say whatever you want to your friends. This might be your last chance." He disappeared entirely into the black vortex.

Starfire closed her eyes, gathering her courage. Her emerald eyes reopened in a powerful determination, and addressed her friends.

"This is our fight, our fight for the city and its people, and our fight to recover our friend. We must have faith and determination."

"Yo! Heavy weight knocker and the green smurf are right behind ya!"

"What the ton of screws said!"

"..................right."

Cyborg and Beast Boy face faulted at the goth.

Starfire nodded in appreciation. The four teens all took a big breath, and entered. The portal closed behind them.

-------------TT

The inside of the mansion was incredibly large, and dark. The creepy elements of a vampire came to mind first, at least in Beast Boy's mind. There were expensive marble floors and well decorated interiors. The only things most unnerving was that it had too much space and lacked any sort of warmth, and it was also very, very quiet.

In fact, there were no sounds at all.

Starfire observed the mansion carefully, looking for any immediate enemies or apparent direction which they should take. She also noted that Kahn was nowhere to be seen.

She opened her mouth and addressed Raven. No sound came out.

The others also began to notice this when they tried to talk to one another. Beast Boy began panicking and began shaking Raven's cloak in fear. She frowned and whacked him on the head. Still no sound.

Starfire began pondering for a solution to this problem, when she saw Cyborg pointing and mouth moving in a yelling motion. She whirled around just in time to see a monster crawl out of the floor.

It was a bone wraith. Its structures were mostly constructed of the marbles of the floor, although some pieces were evidently real bones.

Starfire immediately blasted multiple starbolts at the creature, and annihilated it rather quickly.

Just as the monster was destroyed, the shadows began to reveal the many pairs of red eyes. The others began to go into alert mode, as many more creatures began to form all around the entire mansion.

The mansion had somehow negated all the sounds and vibrations in the dimension, and the enemy had sent out another massive monster army, so the heroes wouldn't have an effective teamwork and fighting advantages.

But Cyborg only had to nod and gesture to Raven with his finger to form the battle plan.

In an instant, Starfire and Beast Boy took to the air and charged up towards to second floor. Cyborg formed his sonic cannon and began his rampage on the shadow creatures that deserved it, with Raven as his source of defense.

Walls and floors flew as the force of Cyborg's sonic cannon carved through. The shadow fiends were shot down and disintegrated before they could even fully form from the shadows.

Flashes of black light went through as Raven levitated and began her own barrage of her powers.

Despite the inability to form words currently, Raven just had to concentrate harder to draw out her powers. In effect, her powers seemed to have lowered, but it was enough to deal with the opponents at hand.

Starfire blasted the creatures that were already waiting for the two on the top of the stairs. She shot several starbolts at the ones that leapt down to intercept her and Beast Boy, and unleashed a fury of lasers at the ones beginning to emerge from the shadows.

Beast Boy morphed into a rhino upon reaching the second floor, using the immense body weight to cause the floor to crumble and collapse, sending more of the fiends to fall, while he just morphed in a hawk and ascended back to aid Starfire.

A fiend leapt unto Cyborg's shoulder, unfortunately undetected by either of the Titans. But before it could sink its teeth into the large teen's flesh, its mouth was forcefully imploded by a quick sonic blast.

Cyborg grinned as he checked to see if there was anything remaining of the creature. But when he turned back around, he was hit straight against the wall by a powerful force.

The Titans went through the walls and crashed through many of the rooms. Rubbing his head in pain, the opened his eye. He found himself in a separate dimension from the inside of the mansion. He gaped in some sort of realization.

He immediately checked the part he propelled through, and saw through the hole that Raven was now battling the creature that attacked him. It was a giant shadow worm, with really, really big tusks.

He growled, though no sound was emitted, and charged straight back into combat.

--------

Beast leapt to the edge of the broken stairs. Several fiends flew through the air to attack. The changeling gave a slight yelp of surprise and morphed into a tiger for quick retaliation, and slammed the smaller creatures back into the darkness.

He quickly observed the area for any immediate threat. A sudden tug at his paws got his attention, and he found himself staring right into the skeletal face of another bone wraith, slowly emerging from the ground.

Beast Boy would have shrieked like a kitten if it weren't that the entire house was silent.

Instantly changing into a grizzly bear, the Titans used his now immense body weight and strength to crush the monster before it could fully appear.

The claws slashed and crushed the bones into pieces. Beast Boy grinned, until a sharp pain spread behind his head.

Trying to ignore the pain, he changed into a lion and flipped in midair to land on all fours.

He yelped again as he saw the bony tail of the wraith that extended from the walls. The head and other pieces began to drop from the ceiling, and they all shuffled together to finally form the creature's full appearance.

The wraith's now gigantic size stomped towards the changeling, and shrieked. Thankfully, no sound was permitted still.

Beast Boy turned into a mouse and scurried away.

--------

Green bolts flew everywhere in the library, not all of them well aimed but the mere destruction power was able to send most of the fiends into nothingness.

The various books and tall shelves scattered everywhere and the pieces of the library were being broken down rather messily. Amongst the mess, was the Tamaranian warrior endowing the fiends a taste of righteous fury.

She zipped and dodged the flying attacks that the fiends seemed to only be able to do, and countered with her starbolts barrage.

Yet the fiends seemed to endless, constantly reproducing from the shadows.

Starfire shot her eye lasers to disintegrate many of the crawlies at one area. She then flew down to the bottom of the huge shelf, and used her brutal alien strength to lift it over her head.

All the remaining fiends all charged at her, and were promptly smashed as the girl hurled the shelf straight from their heads as she flew up.

Just to make certain she charged her eyes and let loose another powerful blast to completely annihilate the fiends and the floor. But just when she was about done unleashing the blast, a huge paw from the ceiling impacted the back of her head and sent her propelling down into the crater she created.

Starfire winced but recovered quickly, and flew back up to see the enemy. This time, it was a creature made up of the marbles, though it was still in a wraith form.

The wraith let loose a silent shriek and detached itself from the roof.

Starfire returned a war cry and charged her hands for a powerful blast.

FLASH!!!

--------

Raven flew around to avoid the worm wraith's bites and huge tusks. Upon out of the creature's reach, she held her hands slightly together, and concentrated her powers to form a sharp blade. The worm charged at her.

FLASH!!!

She swung her arms and the black energy diced the monster into multiple pieces. But to the goth's surprise, the wraith just reconnected with its sliced parts. She frowned as it let loose another silent shriek.

Cyborg charged in from the walls, and slammed the wraith into the far end of the room. He gave her a thumbs-up, and charged at the creature for a follow up attack.

Raven was about to follow when she felt the presence of more creatures behind her and expanded her powers to form a shield, dangerously close from being chewed on.

The shadow fiends clawed at her black shield, trying to get within to the flesh. The girl narrowed her eyes.

FLASH!!!

The fiends were no more.

This whole battle could be endless, she knew for sure. They still had to find the conjurer of these fiends, and it was probably well hidden somewhere. Finding it would be more than difficult, it's near impossible.

And to make the situation even more desperate, Kahn had vanished, seemingly without a trace. There were no signs of combat when they entered, and so unless he betrayed them, he was most likely sent to a different dimension then the one they were in.

Suddenly, the floor above her collapsed, and a green gorilla along with a huge wraith tumbled down with the debris. Beast Boy immediately changed into a T-rex and swatted the bone wraith with his humongous tail.

More shadow fiends began to converge from the shadows once more. Their red eyes peered from the darkness. They began to surround the bone wraith, as if to offer it support.

Raven gritted her teeth and began focusing her powers and to-

A huge portion of the floor above crashed down, from Starfire pushing the material wraith directly into the ground and into the crowds of fiends and the bone wraith.

Raven shielded herself and Beast Boy, who turned into an armadillo, from the shards of debris.

Starfire floated on top of the pile of materials, waiting. As she expected, the two wraiths emerged from the crash site, but were at least seriously damaged.

The Tamaranian gathered all her concentrations for the next attack. Her green energy formed a dome around her, heat radiating across the entire room.

The wraiths shrieked under the bright light, still intent on skewing the Titans.

Raven and Beast Boy went aside to avoid the upcoming attack.

FLASH!!!

It was probably a good thing that no sound was there, for the explosion was most likely enough to temporarily deafen a person.

As the blast and debris cleared, Raven and Beast Boy came around the edge of the wall. Starfire was breathing a little hard, but she seemed to have much more remaining stamina.

She smiled weakly at her two friends, then immediately indicated with her hands to inquire the whereabouts of Cyborg.

Beast Boy was about to try and reply with his outlandish ideas of body language when a bright white light flashed throughout the room.

The three turned around to find the remains of the shadow wraith, fading into the darkness.

Cyborg walked smugly back into the group, and mouthed 'booya'.

The creatures seemed to have ceased their constant emergence, and this gave the Titans a chance for recovery, but also concerned them.

Silence was still in place. It was extremely difficult for the teens to formulate or communicate properly, and none of Cyborg's signal devices appeared to be unhindered from whatever was creating the disturbances.

Beast Boy waved his arms in the air, trying to make words in the air. Naturally, no one knew what he was doing.

Just when they were about to experiment with other methods, the entire area began to shift and whirl. The Titans went on guard of the phenomenon.

The whirls of colors and images stopped, and they found themselves standing in the middle of a long and endless, dark corridor.

"Spiffy." Beast Boy commented. His eyes widened.

"Dude! I can hear me again! Sweet!"

"Ah! BB! Not so loud, man! My ear's all ringing."

Raven walked toward the direction of the door. "Looks like we just need to reach the end."

The other three followed her. The eventually reached the ominous door with the statues of mystic creatures embedded upon.

"Very aesthetic?"

"More like freak the pants off."

Raven touched the stone door. "There's nothing peculiar. Just a sturdy door."

"We shall see."

WOMP! Starfire punched the door and sent to flailing open.

The teens proceeded within, and this time found themselves in what looked like a gladiator's ring. There were Greek or Roman symbols drawn on the marble floors in colors of deep blue. The room was circular and had a significant height. The walls also had symbols, though it could not be identified by either of the teens.

"Careful. I think they want a confrontation now." Raven warned.

Slowly and cautiously, they began their entry into the arena-like room. The lack of light made it almost impossible to see. Cyborg turned on the flashlight in his shoulder.

He began trailing the light on the ground and gradually up to the front, where the ghastly face of Albert was shined upon.

"Uh!!!! Titans, get ready to rumble." The titanium teen yelled, and powered his cannon.

"Hahahahahaha." The old man laughed. Suddenly the arena was filled with a bright light. The teen squinted from the uncomfortable rays.

"Well done. You have overachieved what was expected and have made it this far. The mistress wishes to congratulate all of you. To continued on, you must pass through that door." He pointed behind him, indicating a massive copper door.

He took a step forward, held out his palm, and created a bo-staff in his hands.

"But it seems that your heroic escapades will have to end here. Terminated by the loyal servants of Mistress Hel."

"What the hell!? What in the damn hell!?" Cyborg cried.

There was another dark figure behind the old butler, shrouded in the shadows. But the shape of the person's body and posture was recognizable to any of the Titans.

"G-guys.........? I-is that-"

Raven frowned.

"That is............Robin?" Starfire took a few steps forward.

Albert grinned. "Ah, I see you have noticed the newest addition to our great cause."

The lights finally illuminated upon the Boy Wonder and the other Titans could only stare in disbelief.

The boy was still wearing the same black outfit he paired with the zinothium technology, but much of it was torn and damaged, due to his previous thrashings. He stood in a lethargic way, in which his legs were wide apart, and the upper portion of his body arched forward.

His eyes......they were almost dead. His expression was that of a man who had completely lost his mind, not in the sense of insanity, but in the sense that his mind was completely absent. The boy was staring off in a random direction, just breathing.

"Young master Robin here, has been purified in the name of the mistress Hel. He has been chosen and now resides amongst the most fortunate. In time, he-"

"You _pol'miutan_!!!! What heinous act have you committed? Robin! Speak to me! Robin!"

Robin just continued to stare blankly into space, having no reaction to the girl's voice whatsoever.

Albert grinned, and placed his monocle in his front pocket. "I am afraid his mind has not rebooted as of yet. In time, his full consciousness will be recovered, and his true self will be revealed. The dark and truest side of all humanity will be revealed."

Beast Boy gritted his teeth. "Oh, woopity freaking doo... this is **not **happening."

"Just what have they done? Robin's mind.........it's scrambled..."

Albert spun the staff and went into a fighting stance. "All shall bow to the power of Mistress Hel, the power of the Wraith!"

Starfire could care less what the old man was spewing from his mouth. The only concern on her mind was what was done to Robin and how they could recover him.

She felt as if she lost the boy more times than she could bear. Red X. The apprenticeship under Slade. The fatal encounter with Slade's nasty leftover trick. The darkness in him revealing its nature. And now, he was reduced to being someone's puppet, again.

That hapless feeling began to creep into her mind once more. She didn't know what to do or what to expect. But right now, all she knew was that the enemy needed to be defeated and Robin needed to be rescued.

Suddenly, Albert's face began to change. His grey and white mixed mane slowly transformed into a shiny silver glint. His skin paled until it could be compared to chalk. And his eyes rapidly became murk of a grimly black.

The once-man bore the sharp teeth he now has. "_Shiiiaaa_!!!"

Cyborg decided that anything he saw today wasn't really that surprising anymore.

"You're one screwed up and nasty bastard."

Beast Boy looked slightly nervous. "Great, now we're fighting vampires."

The monster grinned. "Haha......it is not just I you are battling. Young master Robin here will be showing you the meaning of the wraith as well..."

As if a code was sent into the boy's mind, Robin raised his head, reached behind his back, and took out his bo-staff as well. He extended it, but made no further movements.

"Robin........." Raven trailed. Beside her, Starfire could only stare in pain.

"No......no...not...not again..."

The others could only agree wholeheartedly. But as it seemed, there was only one choice. And to make matters even more difficult......

"Prepare to experience a world of darkness...!!" The man shrilled, and readied himself for a powerful launch.

PON!!! PON!!!

"Ah!!!!??" Albert felt something wrap itself around both his ankles.

From the ground, two hands had punctured through and now grasped his ankles in steel grips. He emitted a grunt of surprise as the hands began to tug downwards.

"What is the meaning of-Gah!!!"

RAAAK!! The hands pulled the humanoid monster down into the depths of what was underground.

The butler crashed through the floor and fell into a pit of darkness. During his descent, he regained his balance and landed lightly on some cavern rocks.

It appeared to be a caliginous subterrane cave of some sort. The entire cavern itself was damp, and the lucid water droplets reflected against an unknown source of opaque blue light, creating a twilight vision effect.

"Hehehehehe......" A chuckle echoed throughout the dark, wet cave, followed by the familiar shine of a bright crimson light.

Albert sneered and bore his teeth. "You...............!!!!"

"Hahahahaha!!! Bothering with kids is boring, don't ya think!? Let me play with you. I promise you'll feel all the pain you can ever want!"

The butler spun his staff. His now black and murky eyes danced under the moist, dark blue lights in the ominous cavern.

"A worm such as you has no meaningful words to be spewed. Your blood shall be shed for my mistress! Feel the full burn of the Wraith!"

Kahn licked his lips, and grinned ever so arrogantly. His left eye flared powerfully, and his aura became murderous.

"I'll make sure your corpse is put to good use. I always needed a doorstopper."

--------

"...............so, how did that freakazoid get there?" Beast Boy jibed.

Raven scowled and brought the changeling's attention back to the dire situation at hand. Robin had not reacted even slightly to the butler's descent through the floor, only remained inactive and abeyant.

The full frontal force of fear struck at Raven once more. Robin's darkest of emotions was emitting like sharp rays, and she could not hide her slight quiver. It was so similar. Their leader's innermost barriers had been shattered, and his feral intents triggered. There was no easy way out of this whole thing.

Cyborg took several cautious step towards the inert boy. "Hey, Rob. It's me, Cy. Remember? C'mon, we just wanna help you, man. I think the weirdos screwed your head over. I'm coming over, k?"

The metallic teen felt as if he was speaking to a psychopath who was about to commit suicide, but it couldn't be helped.

Robin suddenly arched his torso backwards, allowing his arms to hang loosely at both sides. The action caused the Titans to freeze in their motions, deathly afraid of what might result.

"Robin......" Starfire called, and bravely, flew much closer to the abnormal teen.

Before she could shorten the distance between her and her best friend further, the boy rolled his head to look at all four of his friends.

Silence.

He exhaled. Reaching behind his back, he pulled out his bo-staff, and extended it.

"Damn it, Robin!" Cyborg formed his sonic cannon. "This is seriously gonna hurt you more than me! Snap out of it! C'mon! I don't want to make a hole in your-huh!??!"

WHAM!!! The large Titans flew across the arena and slammed against the walls.

Robin twirled his weapon. He slouched forward, beginning to shake slightly.

"......to do what I want......to be free of restrictions......defeat everything......!!!"

Starfire stared at the boy merely a few feet in front of her. Disbelief showed distinctly on her face.

"Azarath! Metrion! Zinthos!!!"

Raven hurled the broken pieces of the floor from Kahn's unexpected action and propelled them like meteors, hoping to get the boy away from Starfire as soon as possible. The attack was ranged and wide, so it could force the boy to run a distance away before he could pounce back in to counter.

Robin growled.

ZUN!!!!

Raven watched with shock as the teen had suddenly moved through shards of materials and was already ready to strike her down.

WHACK!!! The staff met against the gigantic palms of a green gorilla.

Beast Boy roared and swatted the weapon and the wielder away. Robin simply used the force to his acrobatic movements to land on the ground safely.

"Arrrghh!!!" ZOOOON!!! Cyborg shot his sonic cannon, though reluctantly, at his friend and leader.

ZUN!!!

Once again, Robin had somehow maneuvered around the attack and closed the distance between his opponents. He kicked Cyborg across the face and sent him back into the wall.

He followed up with a leap kick that planted both his feet against the teen's chest. He struck with his staff and then swiftly performed another kick to the face.

The combos were not finished, but Raven intervened with her powers as a shield before he could execute them.

At the same time, Beast Boy had morphed into a rhino and made a strong charge, hoping to make a hit.

Robin did a back flip.

FLASH!!! He struck the staff at the end of Beast Boy's body and sent him into the black shield Raven had around Cyborg.

"Dammit!!!" Cyborg shouted and shot another pulse of sonic blast.

Robin just whirled out of the blast's path.

"I......I guess there's nothing we can do......the only way to save him is to take him down...!!"

Raven and Beast Boy immediately began some team attacks, now determined to defeat their friend.

Starfire was still confounded and in bewilderment. Fighting and hurting her best friend was something she regretted over and over. Now that the situation had complicated to the point where she was once again staring at all her friends in combat against each other made her feel wound reopened.

The arena was beginning to feel the toll of the numerous attacks. Pieces of debris sputtered everywhere. Impact sounds echoed as Robin continued to evade the three Titans attacks, and countered with flip kicks and staff strikes. But through the teamwork of the teens, they managed to land a few blows to the swift rogue.

Robin spun in midair, using his staff as a defense wave against Raven's attacks.

"Robin, please stop. There's no point in figh-"Raven stopped in mid-sentence.

SPAS-SS-SS-SS-SS!!!

She gasped as Robin held a hand out, and strange sparks of black electricity began to sizzle. He then grasped his staff, and the weapon was quickly saturated with the odd power, only it become murky and the sparkles became foggy.

"All right, just when in the holy hell did he learn to do that!!!??" Beast Boy cried.

It was when Robin demonstrated that new ability, did Raven see. There was the shadow of another, something that didn't belong in this world.

Robin exhaled. He struck the ground with the charged staff, and then scrapped across horizontally, creating an upheaval of dusts that immediately filled the vicinity. The dust served as a cover storm that hindered everyone's sight.

ZOOON!!! Cyborg shot into the dust storm, hoping to land a first blow. The blast left holes in the veil, but Robin was nowhere seen.

"Great! Now we're in guerilla warf-"

He looked up just in time to see Robin descent from above and to shove the charged staff into his left shoulder.

ZAAOON!!! The staff cracked through the titanium exterior and straight into the mechanical components.

"**AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH**!!!!"

"_Lir'houry!!!_" Starfire gasped in horror, and whimpered.

"Cyborg!!!!" Raven shouted. She quickly sent her powers as needles towards the boy.

"Holy!!! Cy!!! Dammit!!!!" Beast Boy yelled in fury and morphed into a tiger for a killing hit.

Robin ripped his staff our of the Titan's shoulder, dodged the black needles and struck at Beast Boy.

The changeling barely avoided a sudden attack from the staff, which was still sparkling with the new unknown power Robin obtained.

Both Raven and Starfire dashed to the seriously wounded Cyborg, who was cursing in harsh breaths as he managed to calm down and checked the damage.

"Cyborg! Your arm..."

The damage was different to his occasional loss of a limb. It was not taken apart in the form that it could just as easily be placed back. The circuits had been forcefully torn through the vertically, and hinges of the mechanics were singed as if it were burnt.

"Damn...... what the hell is going on here? Ah......ah......ah!" Some sparks flew. "This is **not **smurfy." His system began to lose its power.

Raven was slightly panicked as Cyborg's wound was not healable with her powers. Unless she knew how to sew wires back together, she was basically useless.

Starfire bit her lip, as she watched her injured friend.

A roar caught her attention, and she saw a green bear trying to claw at the malicious teen.

She bit her lip again. She couldn't allow her friends to be hurt even more.

Robin suddenly dropped to the ground, swept his feet to kick Beast Boy off balance.

WHAM!!! His staff met the bear's massive body in midair.

Beast Boy flew away and skidded to a halt next to Raven.

Starfire charged straight into the fight, with her powers all readied.

"Rah! Ha!" ZIN! ZIN! ZIN! ZIN! ZON! ZIN! ZON!

Robin made the same move he used to dodge all the other attacks. The Tamaranian now saw more clearly what had happened.

His shadow, it stretched and careened forward, taking his body along, making a quick and almost undetected maneuver. It was like seeing a snake move in midair.

Robin was now in front of her face, and his staff was careened to his side.

Starfire's eyes were wide as she waited for the blow.

He leapt over her head.

Disbelief washed over expression once more. The boy had purposely avoided her, even when he had the chance to strike; even when he was under what was probably the most vehement manipulation.

Robin wordlessly jumped to the wounded Cyborg and the occupied Raven, his staff once again laden with the sparkling darkness.

ZIN!!! A green bolt struck the boy at his side.

He slammed the staff on the ground to stop his fall, and flipped to the other side of the arena. He cocked his head to the side.

Starfire lowered her hand.

Dooooon!!!

Cyborg's familiar blue lights lit up. "Booya! I gots my backup on! Titans, we nee-"

"Cyborg," she spoke firmly, "please proceed with Raven and Beast Boy through to door. Defeat the enemy that lies ahead." Her gaze never left Robin's form.

"Starfire!? What are you-"

"Friend! Please! There is no time!"

Beast Boy ran to her side. "No problem! I'll help Star, you guy can-"

Starfire walked forward. "No, Beast Boy. You must assist Raven and Cyborg. I shall remain here."

"Okay, I don't know if you noticed this, but he just kicked our asses and wiped out Cyborg's arm! You're going to need someone to guard your back! He's been doing that wiffy teleportation thing!"

Raven tuned out Beast Boy's ramblings, and observed Starfire's expression. She turned Cyborg, who gave her a questioning look. She nodded. He bit his lip.

"..................Beast Boy, lets go."

"Wah!!??" The green teen cried as his body was encased in black energy, forcing him away from the Tamaranian.

"But Star is-"

"Going to do what we can't."

Cyborg went to the copper door, and busted it open with his right fist, trying not to put anymore strain in his left.

Raven rustled Beast Boy into another unknown as the changeling kept protesting.

Robin reacted and dashed.

ZIN! ZAP! ZIN!

He stopped and flipped backwards to avoid the blasts.

Starfire floated into the air, eyes and hands glowing neon green. He mouth was in an expression of righteous fury, but her eyes were sad.

The android turned to the alien girl, before he ventured into the unknown as well.

"Star! Save Robin, and make sure both of yas stay alive!!! I'm not going to live just to see the Titans disband!!!"

He didn't wait for a response, for he didn't expect one.

**DOOON!** The door closed shut, although it was supposedly broken.

Robin cocked his head to the side. He observed the alien before him.

Red. Green. Purple. He didn't know why, but he just couldn't attack those colors. They reminded him of something, and along with that, came the other memories.

"Arrrgghh!!!" He growled loudly, and the sparks came about again.

Starfire closed her eyes.

"Robin..." she called, "you are my best friend. I cannot live to see you in such peril, and to know you have become truly malignant."

_They're called fireworks._

"You have always rescued me in numerous occasions. And yet I have never truly had a chance show my gratitude, I always had to thank you later..."

_You're a godsend, you know that?_

"This time, I shall rescue you. Robin, I know you are still there......I will find you."

SPAS-SS-SS-SS-SS!!!

--


	10. Frailty pt 9

Standard disclaimer of ownership and properties apply readily.

--**TT**

Chapter 9

--

The dark corridor seemed to stretch endlessly, like the hallways of a detested asylum. The shadows appeared to be alive, trailing along the three speeding figures insistently, never parting, never swaying.

Beast Boy was in the lead, harpooning himself as fast as he could, though there seemed to be short halts of reluctance.

Raven followed suit, her dark aura flaring. Her hood covered her head once more. Violet eyes speared throughout the corridor.

Cyborg trailed last, sparks of electricity sizzling erratically. His mechanical eyes blinked once, then twice.

He mis-stepped.

He craned to the side, but caught his balance.

The android snarled, and punched his abdomen.

"Keep working, you piece of titanium junk…k-keep working…!"

He willed himself to run faster.

Soon enough, the three Titans found themselves running excessively and unnecessarily, for no end seem to exist.

Beast Boy skidded to a halt. "Okay, this is just like that one stupid level in Dunes. And the same with that: I'm giving up!!!" He turned hotly to his two companions, eyes imploring. "C'mon! Let's go back, and for the love of all that is sacred and holy, help Starfire!"

Raven stopped as well. Before addressing Beast Boy's concern, she gave short but solid glances to Cyborg's frame.

"…I'm sorry, Beast Boy, but this time, there's nothing we can do but pray."

The changeling snarled. "For what, and for who!?"

Raven touched the red orb that was the Titans' communicator signal. "For us, for Robin, and for a world that is not yet crimson with blood."

"That's a load of-"

_Crack-ck-kle!!!_

"Heh……damn shoulder just won't stop hassling……dammit, heh." Cyborg pressed his fingers into shards of metal. The damaged part of his shoulder was still sparkling with electricity, and now seeped with what looked like the cooling waters of his internal system.

"Cyborg, you're not beeping in the right way," Raven questioned, eyes wary. "We'll hurry and-"

"Get this thing over with so I can go repair myself while sipping on some high-caffeine latte, right? Good to know. We have a task to accomplish here, so please, let's save the day……of course, preferably before I become battery-less."

Pause.

Raven nodded.

Beast Boy sauntered to the side of the corridor, tracing his fingers over the dark tiles of unidentified materials.

"……question of the day: just where the hell are we, New Jersey?"

Cyborg held one finger to his temple. "I'll give this overly haunted hallway of doom a little scan, maybe there's traces of energy lying around I can utilize."

_Beep. _

The android's red orb began to sweep through the darkness, revealing nothing but the shadows.

The dark girl closed her eyes. She focused. That focus was shattered.

……_beware the eye……beware the eye……beware the heart……beware the bond…the sun shall freeze……freeze……and the moon shall burn……and-_

"……now is not the time……now is definitely not the time…….!"

She refocused, and clasped her hands tightly.

Beside her, the red dot dimmed.

"Well, not like I expected to see anything relevant. We've gotta end this thing, quick! I don't know long Star can hold against Robin without needing to kill him!"

Raven reopened her eyes and glared at him. "You should be more concerned about when you're going to shut down, permanently."

Cyborg turned to her. "Naturally, but don't think for a second I'm gonna sit this one out, yo."

Raven shook her head. "Stubborn moron."

Beast Boy groaned. "Save the loving name callings for later! We gotta find a way out of this maze, one-way street, or whatever this is!"

"Look, elf, I'm all ears for ideas, so stop complaining and think with your protein deficient brain for once, and stop BITCHING!!"

"What!? I wanted to go help Starfire! You people were the ones all over your high-rockety crap for brains to even consider helping her, and Robin!! Now we're stuck, and-"

"Shut up."

Beast Boy turned to glare at the goth but stopped short.

Strands of dark aura flickered around the girl. Silence ensued.

"……must concentrate……I must concentrate………"

"……………"

Seconds, minutes of anticipation passed.

Raven reopened her eyes. She glanced at the dark corridor. "……it's no use. The level of the magical barrier used here is at a much higher level than the pervious obstacles. I……I can't see through them."

Cyborg snarled, and glared at the walls.

He raised a fist.

Electricity sizzled. He observed the tenacity of the bolts, sprinkling like nectar of life, which is true for him.

"D-dammit!!!" He placed his fist down. "We're not going to just stand here helplessly! Lord knows how many times we've had to go through that!! There **has **to be something we can do, I can do!!"

The gothic girl shivered. Shadows danced. She closed her eyes, and fingered her forehead; her chakra.

Beast Boy suddenly pinched his nose. "Aw, no, man! The smell's even here! It's like a freaking-never-ending fart in an elevator!!!"

Raven's eyes widened. "Beast Boy, you can still smell the blood?"

The changeling grasped his nose and grunted his affirmative.

Raven allowed her violet eyes to travel around the entire region of imperceptible blackness once more.

"I guess I was wrong again. We're not entirely in an alternate dimension."

Cyborg frowned, yet again. "Great, let's add more of that confusion to my migraines. So where the hell are we?"

"No, it's a good thing, now. Beast Boy, it's time to put that good nose of yours to practical use. Can you follow the trail of the blood scent?"

He nodded his affirmative.

"Are you kidding? I've got the nose of a bloodhound, literally! Th-this trail of blood will get us out of here, right?"

Raven returned her affirmative.

Beast Boy morphed into a green bloodhound and started dashing in a certain direction. Raven and Cyborg followed.

While Raven levitated and swirled in the air, Cyborg continued to run.

Small jolts of blue bolts sprinkled from his abdomen.

The wires were beginning to malfunction.

He just kept quiet.

---------T-T

Gilmour huffed as he rounded the corner, his coat flapping behind him as he ran as fast as he could.

Tattla! Tattla! Tattla! Gunfire infiltrated his ears.

Debris of the city scattered across the streets as his steps stomped and kicked them away. Several hasty steps steeped into small puddles, soaking the edges of his pants.

Finally entering an area where the view of the black domes was apparent, the inspector found dozens upon dozens of the shadow fiends slowly, but numerously, emerging from the corner of every building. The police and militant forces are currently in the heat of firing all the artillery weaponry at their disposal.

"Hey! Jackass! Get your stupefied trench coat clad bum over here!!!"

Gilmour merely turned his head to find the chief, as grouchy as ever, taking cover behind a destroyed armed vehicle with only a pistol as defense. He quickly dashed over.

"Gilmour! Just what the hell are these things!? They're coming out of nowhere! We can't keep on killing them forever, no matter how appealing that sounds!"

The inspector ran next to the man, eyes wary of the massive amount of creatures bearing their teeth and red eyes. And amongst them, he saw some of the soldiers that came with the battalions.

"Hmmm, and I thought they were on our side."

The chief sneered. "I would assume that 'inspector' title was worth something! I told you!!! There's something seriously freaking screwed up here! Those monsters are doing more than just eating my men! They're freaking taking over their freaking bodies, damn it!"

BAM!! BAM!! BOOM!!

A few gunshots were fired and the bullets ricocheted off the vehicles the two men hid behind.

"Look, Gilmour, don't you know anything about this!? Where are those damn Titans!?"

Gilmour glared at the black domes and took out his revolver.

"…………….."

"Gilmour! Didn't you hear me!?"

"…………the first step to heaven, I suppose…." The inspector muttered.

The chief seemed very upset to be ignored. "…Dammit! Answer me, you piece of rotten shit!!"

"…….manners, sir, manners. It's not becoming of a man in his fifties wearing two belt buckles. And to answer your question, I think the Titans are taking care of the bastard behind all of this."

Gilmour cocked the safety off.

A pause.

"That's it!? You _think_!!?? Those stupid teenagers are nothing but trouble, and when they're needed, they're freaking off having a dance party!"

Sounds of soldiers shouting echoed from entirely the other side of the battlefield.

Gilmour and the chief peeked around the armored vehicle they hid behind, and saw a group of the men finally exhausted of ammunition and were being pushed into a corner by a massive group of the monsters.

"Dammit!!! Die, you pieces of black crap!!!" One of the soldiers shouted as he shot his firearm into the massive shadows.

"_Shrrriiiiiiiii_!!!!!"

A fiend pounced on him and seeped its teeth into his flesh. Blood gushed out like a small, crimson geyser.

"AAaaaaaaahhhh!!! God!!! T-the p-pain……no! No! NOOOO!!"

The chief shut his eyes and bit his lips.

Gilmour felt a certain heat in his palm.

Soon enough, the man just limped as his consciousness was lost. But the fiend wasn't finished. Gilmour's eyes widened as the shadow creature began to fizzle into particles and assimilated with the body of the fallen soldier, like an odious smoke breathed into the lungs of its victims.

Soon enough, the man stood up again, but this time, his eyes were the same as those creatures.

"………..well, I'll be damned."

The chief gripped his wireless communicator. "Arthur, are you there!? Do you copy!?"

"_Chief! Damn good to hear from you, alive too! We're getting some really freaky feedback from the other divisions, sir, but we're not having many contacts here."_

"Listen, Arthur. I want you to get everyone out of this hellhole! We've got nothing to fight all these blasted monsters at once, we need-hey! Gilmour, where the hell do you think you're going?!"

The inspector charged to the other side of the battlegrounds, sparing the chief one last glance. "Heroic antics, of course! Don't wait up for me!"

"Gilmour! I'm not going to pick up your corpse if you get chewed into tiny, tiny bits!!!" He growled as the man was already out of earshot.

"Sir!" Two officers rushed to the chief's side. Apparently they just arrived. "Great to see you alive! Please, oh please, tell me we're getting out of here!!!"

The stern man took out his magnum, loading it with another clip.

"S-sir!?"

"Oooooohhhh, man."

"Run if you want, but I'm not letting this city be blown to bits without a fight. Especially by things that came out of a corny X-file show."

The two officers rubbed their face in agitation, rustling the rocks around them.

They looked to each other, and nodded.

They took out their laser pistols.

Click. "All ready to die, sir."

"Hmph. We'll see about that. All right, let's show these assholes what we can do with reckless driving." He got into the armored vehicle, and took out his communicator.

"Arthur! Change in plans. Get your men ready to make a full frontal assault without getting too close to those monsters. Take them out at long range, battle rifles and explosives come to mind."

"_Aye, aye, captain! What're you planning to do then!?_"

He turned on the ignition. "I'm going to make some road kill."

---------T-T

_CLUNK!!!!_

_KLANK!!!_

Staff met against hard cave rocks.

_SLAM! SPL-IIIII-EEN!! _

Sparks flew.

A fist and a heel come down, together.

"Huaaagh!!" The figure pivoted itself away with a staff and dived through the openings between the attacks.

A reverse kick followed.

The figure raised its shoulder and avoided impact. With his elbow in position, he brought it down.

The leg shifted and bent inwards, and the flat of the foot met the elbow.

Grunting, the other figure gripped the rocky wall and sent the weight and gravity upwards, pushing the figure above away with his leg.

"Huh!!!" _Shr-ii-ckk-ll-icckkk!!! _The staff carved into the stone grounds, friction creating sparks and deceleration.

Albert Dunstan twirled his staff. He blanched as he lost sight of his opponent.

He growled slightly, and began darting his field of vision sideways, coveting the veil of blackness and the simmer glow of blue.

_Tat!_

He swirled to the right, catching the remnants of the fading shadows of a small pebble.

"Curs-"

_SLAM!!! _Kahn planted his fist firmly against his cheek, the force sending the murderous butler rattling backwards.

_Sh-tt-t-tt-tt-ckkk!!!_ Albert once again dug his staff into the ground. He rotated around the weapon and reeled his feet to Kahn's side.

Kahn swept his arm upwards. He grinned, and clamped his arm around the two legs tightly.

"Fa!!" He swung him like a bat into a wall of rock balls.

_THUMP!!_

The butler impacted the ground unceremoniously, and remained on all fours indefinitely, before he bared his white, floral teeth.

A dim red glow swirled in the darkness.

It was dancing.

It was laughing.

"Tis the day to be jolly…"

_SWOOSH!! SPAAA!!!_

Both men leapt into the topmost pier of the pillar of darkness, fighting in a dark consumed world, hoping to emerge from it without being consumed.

-

-

-

-

-

-

A fist came down.

Twisting his staff upwards to counterbalance the impact of the fist, the butler was able to lift his opponent straight back into the unruly darkness.

He stabbed.

Kahn grunted as the staff imbedded slightly into his stomach.

"Break!!!" _BAM!!!_

The fighter zoomed downwards and made a vertical hand slice aimed at the old man's head.

Albert grinned before he vanished in the darkness, letting Kahn's attack miss, and to only create a large crack in the cavern grounds.

Grunting again, Kahn made a quick whirl after his attack missed, to prevent any sudden rear attacks from his opponent, then got into a defensive stance.

"_For all of your boisterous boasts, you are still merely an ignorant human. There is no way you can ever hope to defeat me…_"

The voice boomed and echoed throughout the dark and murky underground cave, vibrating like the old ruins of lore.

"Hahaha……human? You say such interesting things…" Kahn noted nonchalantly that the light from the hole was gone.

"I've been called a lot of things, but 'human' was never one of them." He cracked his knuckles.

Drip. Drip.

"Stop hiding like the silly cockroaches you insipid fiends are emulating. We're wasting precious time, and unless you have the guts to show your-freaking-self, none of this is going to end soon."

"_Hahahaha……once a worm, always a worm. You humans are nothing compared to the greatest of the entities in this world, the knowledge and the existence of the truly greatest form of prowess. You shall die knowing you are nothing!_"

_FLASH!!!_ "Kah!"

From the side, Albert suddenly reappeared, staff held in a launch to perform an attack intending to break the neck.

"Auuugh!" The maniacal fighter jerked his head to the side, catching the staff between his shoulder and neck.

_Crrriiiick_!!!

Ignoring the pain, he tried to reach for the end of the weapon to gain leverage.

_CLAM_!! Only to have Albert's foot slam into his face.

He staggered backwards. _WHAM!!_ A summersault kick followed.

_SLAM!! _A clean hit of the staff against the back.

Using pure instinct, Kahn was able to grasp onto the staff after the hit, and using that grasp, he brought himself to the man's front and delivered a swift punch.

"Rah!" Albert disappeared before the blow could land.

Kahn sneered as he landed. "Son of a bitch…if I wanted to see a magic show, I would be in Las Vegas."

_CRACKLE!!!_ A sound alerted him and he flipped into the air, avoiding a ground sweep. He brought down his heel, intending to crush the man's skull, but hit naught but air.

"Che." He grunts as he knelt down quickly to avoid a head blow.

Flipping backwards and landing on his hands, he used both feet to kick, and finally made contact with the enemy's torso.

_WHACK!_ The butler flew up into the air, trying to gain a balance-

"Hahaha!!!" Kahn was already above the airborne man, and slammed his heel into the face.

Blood spilled.

The two landed.

The grounds shook and the cave vibrated as Kahn sprinted with the red glow shining brilliantly.

Albert raised his staff horizontally, a measure of defense…..?

"Prepare your meager self!!" The fighter announced as he jabbed his fingers towards the man's throat.

Albert's image faded. "What the-" _WHAM!!_

He flew to the side, his head whipped towards his chest. He reverse flipped, and kicked at another fading image.

He quickly ran up the stony walls, propelled himself down, and acrobatically twirled his body vertically.

His foot made contact with frosty metal. He shifted his weight and-

_SLAM!!!_

Gravity and momentum took over. Kahn landed through a recovery flip.

He dashed to the left and swiped-

_WOMP! _

A foot connected at the back of his head. He slammed his elbow downwards and blocked the endpoint of the staff, but got hit in the back. He landed face first into the rocky grounds.

"Just like in a child's playground. Eat dirt." The butler spun in the air, and dropped down with the weapon acting as a spear.

Kahn's left eye flared as he grinned. "Jolly good times don't go away easily." He pushed himself up and leaped into the air.

Instead of charging straight into the end of the staff, he somehow maneuvered himself around the staff, and slammed his palm into the man's face.

"Gah!!" Albert cried, as he was suddenly kneed in the stomach.

Kahn pulled his head back…

_WHAM!!!_

Blood flew.

"Hahahahaha…"

--------

Red. Green. Purple.

Just what are those colors? Why does he feel improper to attack those colors?

_SPAS-SS-SS-SS-SS!!! _

He raised his hands. "…….p-power………so much power….."

"Robin, please listen to me! An evil force is manipulating your mind! You must seek strength within yourself to battle it! Do not desist in knowing your true self!! You-you are not evil!"

Robin shuddered, convulsing, and panted.

"Your courage and heroism have constantly amazed me and all of the inhabitants of this city!! And I believe you would make no exception in this endeavor! Please, listen to my voice, please……please…return to this world…! I-"

"Arrrggghhhh!!!!" Robin shouted as he made a mad dash for the swirl of colors. His bo-staff caressed with the black energy, he swiped to miss and hit the ground, causing the marble floor to be melted through.

A cesspool of blood and minerals remained.

"Robin! I do not wish to fight you! P-please! Desist…….stop!"

Stop!? He can't stop, not when everything is against him. Not when he can't go on knowing everything begins and ends in cycles, never ending……never ending torment. The torment will not stop until the world bleeds with the death of the espers and flowers.

"Rah!!!" He made a horizontal swipe, aiming to cleave the head off.

Starfire leaned backwards quickly to avoid being decapitated, then takes herself into higher elevation.

"You are still present, Robin! I will not believe otherwise! Resist this evil that wishes to overtake your mind, body, and soul!"

Evil…….? Just what is evil? What is he doing? What is he doing? What did everyone want? From the world; from him?

"Gah! Th-there's nothing worth screwing around for…!!!"

The Tamaranian girl allowed a quick smile, before her expression returned serious and grim, once more.

"There is still much to cherish, still! Please, reali-"

"**Shut**. **Up**."

_Znnnnn!!!_

Robin's shadow extended behind Starfire.

_**Destroy everything that makes you uncomfortable. It is the desire of all humans. Men desire to fulfill what is best for them. It is only natural…**_

_WHAM!!!_ Starfire flew from the kick and crashed into the walls of marble.

She groaned a little before she cried a: "Eeek!!!" and dodged two metal-plated feet, which left indents of its shapes.

Using the advantage of the position, Robin pushed himself away from the wall and swung his bo-staff.

"Ah!" Starfire zoomed away from the strike and continued to manage herself at a distance.

She hovered mere feet away from the dark boy, and she had flew at too slow of a speed. A shadow loomed under her.

_THWACK!!_ The bo-staff struck her from above. Before she could react, four consecutive blows followed.

_WHAM! SLAM! POW!_ The final hit was an elbow in the back. _CRACK!!_

The Tamaranian rocketed to the ground, and before she could utter a groan or moan, the Boy Wonder was on top and squeezing his fingers together.

She choked.

"R-Robin..!"

**_Instinct and nature overtakes frailty in the time of need, of desperation. Gradual alliance with the dark is always inevitable, as is with death. Realize nothing is absolute, and when the world bleeds with crimson delight, let the arms of mortality shudder in the face of the immortal…_**

He breathed erratically. "Everything…is a waste!!! It's not worth it! I-" He stopped.

"No-, that's not true-" His voice trembled, he loosened his grip. "A lot of things are worth it. The smiles, the tears, the silence…"

Starfire breathed through her surprise, and squinted her eyes as the boy began losing mind, once more.

"R-Robin…?"

"You failed!!! You couldn't save him!! You couldn't save them!! You couldn't save her!!! I…I couldn't save them!!! I c-couldn't save him!!! I couldn't save ….save her!!! GAH!!!!"

He raised a fist.

"!!!!!" Starfire's eyes flared and she sent a powerful sphere of her energy around herself.

_ZOOOON!! _

"Arrgh!" The dark clad boy flew and rummaged into the marble floor. He laid there.

Hovering slightly above the ground, Starfire approached the immobile form of the Boy Wonder.

"Robin……" Her words were interrupted and silenced as the boy sat on his knees.

He spread his arms to the sky. And he howled.

The scream was piercing. The marbles of broken walls and ground shook. The shadows danced and the darkness farced.

**_And when the final stages of mankind become intact, the world shall bleed, and bleed, and bleed, and bleed, and bleed…until the crimson delight of life is void and the devils of kosher mock the singing birds…_**

The boy continued to scream, like a banshee that found its death near. He gripped his head.

"Shut the hell up!!! Shut the hell up!! What-what-ack!!! Raaaaahhh!!!"

He screamed as his body was pinned to the ground by offensive and yet friendly colors.

"Robin! Calm your soul! I beg of you, I-I…"

The boy continued to scream, his eye mask fizzled and his shadows continued to convulse.

"I…! I not in a million eons of Tamaran or Earth do I ever wish to see you in such pain! Pain…that you have never deserved or sought! Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven……they have gone to combat the evil that has polluted your precious mind, please, bear the good and resist the evil before their victory is claimed!"

She shuddered as he glared straight into her green eyes.

"……d-death……death………it's the same…the sun…! The Wraith……!"

The shadows converged under Robin, and they merged with his dark clad flesh.

_FIIIIII!!!_

Clunks of shadows erupted and Starfire was propelled away. She landed on her back as shards of marbles showered her.

"Owie…" She gasped as the boy's eyes now shined in a daunting red, like two bloody roses amongst tombstones of lore…

He exhaled.

He inhaled.

He exhaled.

All the shadows disappeared, leaving only the light, reflecting throughout the room in an iridescent chorus of crystals and marbles.

_The room grew brighter. _

_And brighter. _

_Brighter. _

_**Sing…birds……sing! The Crimson Delight awaits nothing……it merely bleeds…**_

"Raaaahhhh!!"

**_The sun shall freeze and the moon shall burn. That, is when the world is upside down… _**

Robin's hands pulsed, and dark bolts of electricity sizzled and sizzled. They began manifesting throughout his arm. They invaded his veins.

His eyes glowed crimson.

_Brighter still……_

Starfire shielded her green eyes.

She blinked.

Black bolts sauntered across the floor. The scream of the banshee ran its marathon.

Robin only exhaled. "The sun shall freeze……it shall freeze…"

His legs convulsed.

She whimpered.

_SPAS-SS-SS-SS!!!_

-

-

-

-

-

-

A piece of blue flew to her, and landed on her breast.

"!!!!"

Starfire touched it and brought it to her scrutiny under her arm, away from the developing light of lore…

Her green eyes went wide as saucers.

She sucked in a breath, and tucked the piece of blue in her skirt.

_Brighter and brighter…_

Green eyes became determined and compassionate with an emerald glow that threatened to rival that of the light.

The Tamaranian flew straight into the wail of the banshee.

---------

"……it's like a freaking graveyard, ain't it, Sally?" He cocked the shotgun, releasing a shell.

"Sure, if by a graveyard you mean hell." She turned around. "Hey, Basque, John, you guys finding yourselves alive back there?"

A man with short blonde hair and a lazy grin massaged his shoulder. "As much as I can be alive, I suppose. But, man! This shoulder is sure killing me. Can you give me a loving massage, Sally?"

"Sure, Basque, I don't mind tenderizing your flesh to feed gruesome monsters."

The man trailing behind the four gave a gruff groan. "You kids fight like two peas in a pod…wait, I don't think I used that terminology right."

"John, shut the hell up, and watch our backs." Sally demanded, and turned to the man with the shotgun. "Lieutenant Lester, what should be our primary objective?"

Lester cocked the shotgun, again.

He aimed it at Basque.

Basque grinned, nodded, and treaded off towards the side of the city.

_Click_.

"We'll finish a batch off, right here, and hope that we live through this to get drunk at a bar before Labor Day. And if we're lucky, I'll get lucky." He took out a cigarette, and placed it between his lips.

John moaned. "Oh please, Lord, let Basque get a better aim this time."

The female officer pulled a strand of her amber hair behind her ears.

She closed her eyes, and held her a necklace to her heart. She kissed it. "……may the earth stop bleeding."

Lester nodded. "May we all never bleed." He aimed the shotgun upwards.

_BANG!!!!_

He brought the firearm down, and lit the cigarette at the edge of the barrel.

He inhaled the tobacco and puffed smoke through his nostrils. "Nothing like a good dose of chemicals that ultimately kills you…"

A rumble shook through the ground. Horrendous shrieks echoed through the city after the gunshot.

Through the corner of a building on the far side, pairs of crimson eyes emerged. Rustles of the earth began to shift.

Lester grinned, his grey eyes glee with equinox. "Hey, if they're really shadow creatures, why is it that they make a stampede? Shouldn't they be weightless, like real shadows are?"

"I'll answer your question in post-death or post-survival."

"No, you wouldn't."

"Which path do you wanna try?"

John looked to the top of a hill.

"The path where I'm alive so I can get laid."

The herd of shadow fiends rumbled closer, and closer.

Lester's hand darted into his suit, and he withdrew four grenades. "Duck."

Sally and John ran to the side, taking aim and shooting into the stream of creatures. Lester grinned and tossed the grenades one by one.

All the fiends reacted immediately, and were about to part ways-

_BANG!! BANG! BANG!! BANG!!_

Four shots ran through the air and city. Four bullets struck the four grenades in midair.

_BOOOOOOMMMM!!!_

Chunks of concrete and shadows dispersed. A rock & roll rhythm played in the air, and it was very, very upbeat.

"Shake it like you mean it." Basque smirked, and took aim at the scattered grounds and monsters.

"Bang."

_BANG!!!_

Lester tossed his shotgun to the side, and instead withdrew two magnums.

Click. Click.

-----------

_WHAM!_ Kahn's fist sent the butler flying.

Albert wiped the now bloody part below his nose, where blood was beginning to seep. "Augh!!! Curses! You-"

A red glow shined inches above him. "Shut the glittering-jitter hell up, grandpa. Dead people don't talk."

_SLAM!!!_ A kick straight up from under the chin.

Albert's form flailed airborne. He gritted his teeth, opened his eyes, ready to-

"Down." Kahn heeled him on the cranium. _THOMP!!!_

The butler lost concentration and flapped in the air, but before he could land, Kahn's steel grip held him by the collar of his vest.

The Eye of Ozymandius cackled as Kahn brought his fist into view.

"My serving of the land of pain."

_POW! SLAM! WHAM! CRACK! RAM! SLAM! WHACK!!!_

_-_

_CRACK!! SLAM!! CRACK!!_

_-_

_-_

_The darkness blurred with red. _

_-_

_-_

_SWOOSH!!!_

Albert finally fell to the ground, his staff now broken in half.

Kahn walked over to the man's fallen form, his crimson eye flaring powerfully. "Not even enough to survive to halftime." His teeth bore. "Heh, you're not much of a player."

Albert's fingers twitched. Kahn raised an eyebrow.

From the finger tips, a murky and dark fog begins to perspire, though it was hardly visible in the dark blue tints.

Kahn watched with amusement as the butler slowly got back up, though this time his entire aura and person seems to have changed, to have become……darker.

"_Raaaaaaaahhh_……"

White, grey hair diminished and strands of them that remained became pickling needles. The skin became immaculately pale and dead, seemingly the very epidermal of a corpse.

"_Shrrriiiiiiii_!"

Grinning, Kahn dug his pinky into his ear. "Sheesh. You're nosier than pigs being slaughtered."

"_Despair_," His voice now sounded very different, almost like a high pitched siren, "_mortal, for you will now see first hand the true form of the wraiths! An undying being that has dwelled throughout the ages of man and monsters_!! _The very essence of thus being is beyond the simple minded humans, merely a small spark of the candle flames…_"

The Eye of Ozymandius pulsated. "Don't speak to me about time, you bastard." He took a step. "If there's anything that can be spoken of the powers of time, it's my handy baby right here." He pointed to his left eye, and pure mischief showed.

Albert ceased in his actions, and gazed into the flaring light of the man's left eye. He seemed……enchanted, in sorts.

"_Such peculiar powers, the likes I have yet seen……you, you are no ordinary worm, are you_?"

Kahn smirked. "Well, it seems I've been promoted in your demeaning choice of words."

"_But it shall remain the same! You and the rest of this world shall feel the most immaculate prime of the powers unknown of this world!!! And after I end your life, I shall extract that relic from your cold, rigid corpse_!"

The humanoid monster dashed straight at the fighter, faster than ever before.

Unable to move out of the way, the broken staff pummeled into Kahn's guts. "Oof!!"

_WHASP!!!_ A hand grazed against his chin.

Blood spilled from Kahn's cheeks.

_POW!!_ A fist rammed under his shoulder.

"_Shrrriiii_!!!"

Slash. Blood spilled.

Punch. _POW!!!_

Kick. _SLAM!!! _

Kahn recovered from the flip and-

Albert's ghastly hand grasped the bandaged leg of Kahn and dragged it upwards. Kahn's face made contact with the rocky walls along the way, creating red marks and blood gashes.

Albert released his hold, and Kahn descent to the ground like a rag doll.

The fighter's long, grey bangs flailed behind him during the descent. His hairline shown if the darkness wasn't around, especially since the red glow of the eye had vanished.

Seconds before the impact, a tug strained on the fighter's leg. The muscles twisted.

"_And I did not even use a hook._"

Pivot, then holster. _WHAM!!_ Kahn caved and laid still on the floor.

Albert stood above the man, glaring with monstrous black eyes of victory. "_It seems you have physically felt the difference between gods and mortals. Nothing in this unpurified world can ever hope to bear through their sins. Hope for the weak and the sorrow of an undying ancient text of freaks and underlings. The only way to transcend beyond that mortality, is to reach deep into the core of the asphalt of the gods, namely, the gods of the Wraith._"

A pause.

Kahn began trembling on the ground. "Hehehehahahhahahahaha!!! Gods!? Is that what you call freaks nowadays?! You're not even worthy to be called a monster! Just a coward!"

_WHOMP!!! _

Albert clamped his hand around the man's neck, and slowly squeezed.

"_Shhhrriiiiiii_!!! _Still, you do not understand! This world, this plane, this existence! Tell me, what is the purpose of your wretched presence here!?_"

The eye beamed.

Teeth like fangs.

"Hehehehe……just a coward, who was just afraid to die."

"_Silence! This nonsense you spew, what are you insinuating!? You're nothing but a sub-terran, who knows nothing of the powers of the darkness, and yet you constantly mimic-" _

"Everyone is a coward……from time to time……it is now, when the sun freezes, when the courage of a person will be shown…"

Albert's hand desist its compression. The elderly monster tilted his head as he gazed at the bandages and eyes covered by hazel.

"Hehehehe…..tell me, Albert Dunstan…what do you see in this left eye of mine?"

"………………"

"You see nothing. There is nothing for you to see anymore. Because this eye is meant only for the living, like the sun, the moon, and the Crimson Delight……"

"…..nnnnnghh….rrr…"

"Once a rancid corpse, one should remain a rancid corpse……Do not bother the living, you underling of a pawn, because only the living should bother the living."

His left eye pulsated, flashes of red waned the butler back into the illuminated rocky cavern.

Kahn released breaths of vapor.

Cold, dense vapor.

"…….perhaps the sun will freeze."

Kahn bowed his head.

Albert snarled, eyes burning with absolute strife.

Silence.

The humanoid monster glared at the man before him, skin raking and flaking with different forms.

"You speak of powers and time a lot…….were you that afraid to die?" Kahn asked, with a placid face. The red flare was gone, leaving a black void to replace the eye.

"_What are you spewing-_"

"Did you feel betrayed? Lonely? Unworthy? Destroyed? Mutilated?"

"!!!???"

"…..dead?" He took a step forward.

Albert took a step back. His eyes showed a fear and realization that seemed to have……haunted him.

Kahn, red eye gone, looked up. His expression was……sad?

"_Wh-what are you plotting?! This tricke-_"

"Have you ever heard an angel sing, Dunstan?

Albert flexed his wrist. He gauged his eyes and the man's now crimson-less face.

"……the most glorious of all voices. A lyrical melody not even the abhorred sirens can fathom, and a voice that only yourself can hear, can appreciate, can cherish…….have you ever heard an angel sing, Dunstan? When the life of another fills yours, and all you can think about is to protect that voice, but something blocks your path, that Crimson Delight."

The monster-man's eyes flashed slightly, and black irises were partially replaced with forest green orbs.

Kahn smirked. "Tell me, Albert Dunstan……when was the last time you saw the sun freeze and the moon burn? The last time the angels of heaven sang for your life and sanity?"

With eyes void of crimson and life, he looked to the ghastly ghoul of a man.

"……………hehehehe, can you bear to see the light again, Dunstan? The light of your life, once again…"

Albert Dunstan grasped his face. His body twitched and convulsed, sweat began to form over his pale epidermis and a form of life took over his eyes.

He shuddered.

Forest eyes darkened to spirits of the wraith once more.

He screamed in fury and in fear, and charged to the avatar of the Eye.

Kahn bowed his head.

The cave echoed the scream of another banshee.

He smirked.

-

-

-

-

-

-

"………sing for me, Aurora."

----------

The fiends of shadow leapt and dispersed consecutively and sequentially. The bullets of the technology of man flew and coursed through the air.

Basque reloaded another clip, and cursed as he took aim.

"Damn shadowy vermin, I don't have any mouse trap, so…hold still!"

_BANG!!_

"Ha! Chalk that up to my brilliant sniping skills!!" He pulled the MS-15 back and smirked as he loaded another clip. On the grounds, he suddenly saw Sally aim her automatic pistol at him.

"What the-"

_BANG!!!_

A fiend beside him dispersed.

The blonde woman frowned at him. Basque grinned lazily and blew her a kiss.

Lester dodged to the side and fired five shots, destroying all the creatures in an alley.

He paused. No movement. He reloaded his magnums and turned to check on Sally and Basque.

They gave him salutes.

John followed him, eyes wary and exploring.

"These things aren't technically alive, are they?" John inquired, as he covered the lieutenant's rear. "The bullets…they go straight through, seemingly unhindered by friction and the likes."

"And yet they have some sort of weight, meaning they're affected by gravity. It's very arbitrary and all of this is of speculation only, but chief major might know something about all this."

"Yeah, if he only had a heart of gold and a conscience made out of ……well, if only he had one."

"How bold of you, John. As I remember, saying something like that can get transferred to the forensics department."

Sally folded her arms and pulled the trigger, shooting one more rogue fiend. "The chief is an ass, lieutenant, there's no way around that-"

The earth rumbled and the buildings trembled.

"!!!!????"

The magenta sky split into red and gold as thunder struck the black domes, seemingly providing them with power of the heavens.

A loud wail broke out, and from the ground, craters formed from the emergence of a gigantic creature.

Sally, John, and Lester tossed themselves to the pavement, and Basque's eyes widened as he gazed at the asphalt, where the most gigantic shadow worm shrieked and jerked from the city ground like a geyser.

He lifted his sniper. "Damn it!" Took aim, and-

The behemoth shot forward and crushed into the hill where the blonde militant balanced upon.

_WOOOM!!!_

Sally gasped. "BASQUE!!!" She cried, and upon grasping her weapon, made a mad dash toward the crash site, ignoring the pieces of the city that flew around.

Lester grunted, and pulled himself up just to witness the frantic girl's mad movements. "Dammit, Sally, heads up!"

The woman glared at the worm's sniveling form as she ran. The creature turned its attention on her, and shot forward towards the ground.

_SWOOOSHH---WHOMP!!!_

The grounds broke amongst the many craters of the defiled city, leaving the markings of the worm.

Lester withdrew a bag from his backpack, and tossed it to the awaiting John, who dove to catch the bag, and immediately flung it into the massive hole.

The two rolled away.

-

-

-

-

-

_**BOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!**_

Light erupted from the abyss, and a conflagration of flames and destruction sprouted from the ground through the explosion. Pieces of the fiend, and most of the surrounding area, dropped from the sky like comets. The portions of the worm's parts vanished into the magenta sky.

John uncovered his head. "……………Lieutenant, what the hell was that?"

"What? You threw it without knowing it was a pound of C4?"

"……………sir, you brought it, knowing it was a pound of C4?"

Sally landed on the other side abyss, and made her way towards the top of the hill.

"Basque! Do you hear me!? Answer me, you piece of shit!! Please answer me!! God dammit! Answer me!!" She shuffled through the debris and fallen rocks.

Blood seeped from a certain pile.

Her breath caught in her throat.

With trembling hands, she moved the rocks. Basque laid under them, as expected. The man's tattered form immobile and dusty. The blood was flowing from his arm.

She stared, her breath entirely gone.

-

-

-

-

-

She reached a hand toward the fallen soldier, trembling and shuddering.

-

-

-

-

The man breathed, and slowly, a twitching eye opened.

Air became an active supplement once more.

"Gah………aw, dammit, Sally." He smirked. "S-screwing up on the, gah, first mission in m-months, what a f-freaking nice-nice day. What's the ch-chief gonna s-say…?"

Eyes slightly moist, the woman grit her teeth. "Sh-shut up, Basque! You're gonna be okay, j-just shut up before I shoot you."

She began shredding a piece of cloth from her uniform, eyes still moist as she never wiped the tears away.

Basque was about to grin when another tremor shook through the ground. His eyes widened. "S-sally!! Get the-oh god-get the hell out of here!!!"

The woman turned around, and saw the stinger of a black, gigantic scorpion, posed.

"Sally!! Get away!!"

She bit her lip, and moved to shield the man's injured form.

"S-sally!! God dammit, please, just m-move away!!!"

_Tatt-tla-tla-tla-tla-tla!!!_

Lester and John shot the creature from the hill below, but the gunfire only zoomed through the creature, unfazed and still posed ready to destroy.

Sally herself aimed and shot the ammunition in her pistol.

"_Shrrriiiiiii!!!!_" The creature flailed around slightly, but its stinger remained.

The female officer crouched defiantly before her fallen companion. Chimes of death filled her ears.

Lester continued to shoot shot after shot. _Tat-tat-tla-tla-tla-tla_"Aaaahhh!!! Sally, Basque, get out of there!!!"

The woman's eyes drooped, her hand dropped to her side, and she gazed at the man behind her. Basque's eye frowned, but his lips smiled.

Seconds of eternal eons seemed to have passed, as the shadow scorpion began its descent of eternal sleep for those to be pierced-

_FLASH!! DOOOON!!!_

"!!!!!!"

Sally gazed at the wide hole ridden into the creature as it disappeared into the magenta darkness, burning with the flames of hell into nothingness.

Her head jerked to the asphalt below them, catching the last glimpse of a crimson glow before it faded.

Gilmour dropped his arm, the sleeve of his trench coat cindered entirely, and sizzled with smoke and the remnants of flames. He twisted his hand around, and saw the gun.

It melted, and solidified irregularly, a mold of metal clay.

"Heh……I really can be a good black smith."

Lester, cautiously, walked over with his magnums, safety still off. "I-inspector Gil-gilmour? That **is **you, right?"

The inspector chuckled, then sighed. "Hello, witnesses and fellow law enforcers. Aren't we in a fine day of hell today!? And since we have a dire situation on our hands, I will just quickly beg you four to not mention what you have witnessed here, today, since if word gets out I'll be decapitated with a guillotine by a red assed waitress that graduated from Harlot 101."

He dropped the deformed firearm to the ground and motioned to the lieutenant. "Aside from that, can I please have another pistol or something that shoots lead? Mine melted."

Shaken out of his reverie, John searched his armor to find a .45 military handgun, and was about to toss it to the inspector when Lester raised the back of his hand.

"Not yet, John. Inspector Gilmour, your previous display of talents, although very noted in gratitude, is very unexplained and unknown. As such, suspicious cannot be helped but-"

"Oh for Christ's freaking sake! We're in the middle of the city, which is by now the biggest battlefield since Waterloo, and you want to give me a load of police shit!?"

Lester narrowed his eyes. "Well, sorry, but no one ever mentioned anything about the inspector that transferred from Bludhaven to have extraterrestrial abilities like shooting laser beams!!!"

"What's so ET about that? Where I came from, everyone can do that, naw, just pulling your leg. But seriously, this is not the time." He held one sleeved arm and one un-sleeved arm up. "Overall, though, I'm on the same side as you overly paranoid jock strapped dingos. I can swear on my wife's SUV."

"……….John, give him something."

The officer obeyed and threw the inspector the .45.

Gilmour grinned as he tipped the safety off. "Well, that's more-" He shuddered, and spun to the north, mouth agape and eyes brimming.

"Nnnnn?" Lester watched as the trench coat clad man shuddered to the direction of the magenta sky. "John, go check up on Sally and Basque, they need some help."

"Right away, sir." He jogged up to the two survivors, leaving Lester and Gilmour.

The inspector grimaced. His facial features shuddering with gasps of surprise, and his eyes were laced with nostalgia. His bare arm began glowing red.

Lester came to his side, halted at the sight of the glowing arm, and frowned. "…….something wrong?"

"…………." He shuddered again. "……I…..I-I think I heard singing……"

The lieutenant looked to the same direction. "……singing?"

Gilmour gasped and chocked on nothing. "Y-yeah, s-singing…"

-----------

A green gorilla roared and tore the door of darkness apart with its meaty arms, revealing light and, at the same time, another realm of darkness. It was yet another hallway, decorated with paintings of skeletons of classical eras.

An elfin Beast Boy shuddered. "Creeeeeeepy. It's like looking at Raven's family tree in an uncensored film of creeeeepiness." _THWACK!!!_ "Ow! Dammit, Raven!"

The girl turned around to inquire upon the android, who swore lightly as he crossed through the gap in dimensions.

"Heh…you know," Cyborg spoke, "you're showing much more concern than you claim you're ready to display. You must really love-" _THWACK!!! _"Ow!! Hey, I'm injured."

"You seem fine enough to be corny and courageous." She deadpanned.

"Well, circumstances aren't at the top of my 'booya' list, but we've finally gotten out of that hellhole. Speaking of which…" He quickly dialed into his arm.

_Pssss-ssss!!!_

"Thought so. C'mon let's hurry, this energy disturbance won't allow our communicators to work unless we have either a counterbalance, or we just kick some ass."

Raven nodded, and was about to say something else when Beast Boy yelled to them.

"Hey, guys! Discuss your wedding plans later! I've found the mahogany mother of all doors!!"

Cyborg frowned. "What!? BB, we were, and I emphasize on the exclamation point, not fraternizing!!!"

"Huh? I didn't say you guys were fertilizing."

"………you are stupid."

"Whadda I say?"

"Nothing that makes your intelligence stands out."

Raven walked up to the door of dragons, gargoyles, and demons. She pressed her hand to it, and created a dark portal.

It whirled open, pulsated, then simmered to nothing.

Cyborg frowned. "Or…….we can just open it like every other door in this dimension."

Raven shook her head. "I was just testing something…about this dimension theory. We were always in the same dimension, including that dark corridor we ran through. It had always been the same…" Beast Boy raised a finger and- "I really don't feel energized for a long monologue of explanations."

She directed both palms to the door. Her eyes and hands glowed black and the gigantic door trembled, but did not succumb.

"Nnnnnnggghh!!!" Her powers dimmed, and her strain became sweat.

Cyborg frowned. "Raven, don't push yourself, you'll only-"

"D-don't even start…….you've sacrificed more than anyone on this heaven forsaken earth already. Don't……don't you dare voice any hypocrisy……!"

"…………………go Rae."

"NnnnnnnnnnNNNNNGGHHH!!" The gate shook fiercely before it broke apart and crumbled towards the insides of the room.

It was pitch black.

Raven ceased her powers, sighed, and went in.

Cyborg followed close.

Beast Boy whimpered. "Typical. All dark." He sauntered in.

_FLASH!!!_

Bolts of black.

The entrance disappeared.

-----------

He blinked.

Silence. Darkness. But…….

-

-

-

-

-

"Warmth……"

He hugged the warmth to him.

-

-

-

It was moist. It was warm. It was……unfamiliar.

-

-

-

"………it's…….getting colder."

-

-

-

-

Robin's eyes fluttered open entirely. He hugged something tighter for a split second before pulling away.

""

Starfire smiled. "_Glor'r noonki'lil jae de X'Hal_Robin."

"St-Starfire!! Oh, heavens!! Oh…oh…god Wha-what…wh-what!?"

He simmered as she raised a bloody hand to his face.

"You……you have returned to this world and mind…Robin………..I am so glad……"

"No……what happened, Starfire? H-how? No, not this way, please, oh god, not this way…!!! Don't-"

Her blood and tears silenced him.

"_Ye'gurl ef hisa ef co'mr yun postr'url glealanja pyo funra, _Robin. _Ye'gurl ef hisa ef co'mr yun postr'url glealanja pyo funra……_"

The frantic teen nodded. "Ye'gurl ef hisa ef co'mr yun postr'url glealanja pyo funra……" He repeated, and gently, placed the Tamaranian on the ground, pillowing her head with his arms.

He looked around him. The arena was broken and damaged through the bolts of black and bolts of green. He looked around and his frown increased.

"……..ah……."

His eyes shifted immediately back to the girl. "Starfire!!! You're going to be all right, let me swear this, please! J-just who did-"

_FLASH!!!_

The Boy Wonder gripped his head. "Aaaahhhh……!!!!" He shook once. Twice. His eyes went wide and he gazed at the unoccupied hand.

"…….I……I-I…….d-d-did th-this…..?"

_The sun shall freeze…… The sun shall freeze……… The sun shall freeze……_

Starfire coughed once, and smiled. "…d-do not worry, dear Robin……I-I…Tamaranians are-are m-most known for th-their versatile p-perseverance of-of the gastric area a-and f-fighting spirits…."

"Y-yeah….you're r-right. You Tamaranians are so strong and powerful…nothing like us humans, something like this wouldn't matter, right? I-I mean, we'll just get you some medical attention-where, where's Raven? Dammit, Raven where are you!? My communicator! I'll find it, Star, I'll get help for you!! I promise you'll be alright! I promise I'll find help!"

Starfire smiled, like a rose amongst a field of tombstones.

She exhaled breaths of cold vapor. She whispered something. Robin quickly darted his ear to her mouth.

"……………….I wish to observe the exciting fireworks, once more………"

The rose began to wilt……

**_The sun shall freeze and the moon shall burn. That, is when the world is upside down…_**

-----------

Nothing but the sounds of shuffling footsteps and the dim light of what is the diminishing light of Cyborg.

The three Titans walked in the dark, like they did so many times before, but this time, there were two members absent.

Beast Boy, now a Cheshire, gazed into the dark with his feline optics. He suddenly jumped back, and hissed.

"………BB?"

The changeling morphed back. "Dudes, I think we've hit the tornado dimension, undead jackpot…!"

Raven frowned. "Beast-"

Light erupted, and all three Titans squinted.

A beat.

They opened their eyes.

Whirls of grey and hazel dominated the room, and no solid ground existed.

"W-well, whadda ya know?" Cyborg groaned.

Beast Boy whimpered for the others to hear. "G-guys, that's not why I hissed." He pointed upwards.

They guided their eyes with the finger.

A big shadow bat hung from nothing.

A beat.

Cyborg slowly brought his cannon up-

"Heeheeheeheeheehee….!"

The android paused, and gazed curiously.

A blonde woman glided down from the bat's wings. She giggled as she twirled once in the air.

"Heeheehee, it seems the sun has almost frozen over……what a day, what a day, what a day…!"

She clasped her hands together. "This is turning out to be quite the show, oh, how exciting this all is! Daddy will be so pleased!" She gazed down.

"Oh! And who might you wonderful children be?"

Beast Boy cowered slightly. "Umm, hey there, I think we came into the wrong horror house, so if you can put that blood sucking monster on its leash while I run, that'd be-"

Raven's eyes shined with black and she levitated into the air. "Azarath! Metrion! Zinthos!!!"

Blades of dark energy slashed towards the woman and the bat.

Hel grinned. The gigantic shadow bat shrieked, spread its wings, and took off with its mistress away from the attack.

"My, aren't you a violent little scoundrel!! No candy for you!"

Raven glowered. "Cyborg, Beast Boy. She's the source of all this sorcery and contingence of these shadows, which would mean she's the mistress that butler spoke of."

"Never thought of that." Cyborg muttered, and a blue glow pulsated in his cannon.

Beast Boy shrieked as a pterodactyl.

"All right then, we take that bizarre lady out in record time, break her hold on the city and Robin, and then we can finally call it a day!! Titans, the end is finally near, let's go!!!"

_ZOOOOONN!!!_

Hel smiled as the bat dodged the sonic blast. "Yes……the end is indeed near…heehee."

--------

The cavern was silent.

Darkness remained unwavering.

Blood painted the floor.

The form of Albert's body laid on the ground, still and dying. The man's previous demonic features were entirely gone, what remained were only a wrinkly old man of British descent.

He panted through clogs of blood in his throat.

Kahn stood aside, silently. His eyes were closed shut. He swiped his hand of blood, though it only sprayed unto his clothes.

"…ha..ha! W-well done!" Albert went into fits of coughs. "Th-that was a magnificent display of combat! I-I have officially lost, to-to a better fighter. You a-are indeed powerf-ful."

Kahn turned around. "…………………………."

The butler smiled. "………..haha, strange. I……I feel at ease……an ease I have never felt in ages. I-I thank you, gruesome fighter." He brought his hand to his face.

"……I too, have once heard an a-angel sing, just as you have asked……but war and malignance of humans took that away…I became the soulless slave you before……with no fits of passion and no goal of the living………I was tr-truly a living corpse……but does not mean I was alive. My life had ended the moment I accepted that offer of eternal life………I was just so afraid, so afraid to live knowing all I cared for was destroyed, and yet, and yet, I was too scared to go beyond the abyss to confirm my own life…"

He strained to look at the man before him. "Y-you too, have had the same fate, have you not? If not, you w-would not have asked me such a question as you d-did."

Kahn knelt beside the man and frowned. "Moria Harbinger………where is she?"

Albert chuckled. "Huhuhuhu……you w-would not even grant the dying sentiments of a-an old man? S-so be it……" His ghastly white and wrinkled fingers pointed into the darkness.

"W-walk, and you shall a-arrive…" His hand dropped to the ground, and he coughed some more blood. He smiled as he saw the blood. "H-haha. It seems a-at least I-I have a f-form of life within me…I-I should be grateful……that I am not completely void of the l-living…"

Kahn knelt beside the dying man, and the Eye of Ozymandius flared once more.

Albert shuddered slightly from the pain, then he gazed into the red orb. He stared dumbly for moments and moments.

-

-

-

-

-

He smiled.

"S-such lovely m-memories……"

Kahn stood. "Tell me, what is your last wish?"

Albert Dunstan wheezed slightly as he pondered.

"………………..I-I w-wish to hear th-that s-song: Jesu, Joy of man's desiring…..as I lay here……."

_FLASH!!!_

------------

Robin held the limp form of Starfire to him as he shuddered.

Moments passed.

The sun was becoming colder…….

He trembled.

The rose was beginning to wilt…….

He ached.

Her breath was slowing…….

He clenched his teeth.

The Crimson Delight smiled from the heavens above.

Starfire's skin paled……as did her lips…….

Robin shook his head, and glanced at his hands.

He saw black bolts……he saw shadows and light……

The Boy Wonder gazed back at the wilting rose and freezing sun……

"…………no, not yet."


	11. Frailty pt 10

Standard disclaimer of ownership and properties apply readily.

**TT--**

Chapter 9

-

Robin cradled Starfire's body in his arms.

He breathed.

He chuckled a bit.

"I'm……..'breathing'……"

He paused. Deafening silence.

"………………it's actually really _something_, you know………"

Black bolts, shadows, and the light.

……………_the moon shall burn…………and burn……………and burn…………_

"……heh…but the sun won't freeze……that's enough for me…….and for this city……everyone will be satisfied with that……"

………………_freeeeeeeze……_

He winced slightly, and shut his eyes painfully.

"Shut…shut up… The sun won't freeze, that's the last thing I'll promise, and I won't break that promise even if my nerves will be torn and stripped like friggin' bacon…" He reached a hand to brush the girl's red bangs that rained around her delicate features, but abruptly stopped.

"……heh, I think I did enough damage for one adventure….."

He curled his fingers.

He extended them.

He 'breathed' cold vapor, as did Starfire.

Robin glanced at the girl's form.

"…………………………..no, not yet……………I won't let everything just end like this. I said I'll finish this, and I will. That's the only way a promise should go, it's my contract and biding agreement between us, Star. This whole ordeal will be finished in the way the Teen Titans will do it…… as Cyborg might say: everything will go out with a bang, and it'll be the loudest and most groovy bang ever……"

He glanced aside and saw his bo-staff. His lips curled into a deep frown.

"……I'm so sorry, Starfire. I used that weapon to hurt you all……I just remembered everything that happened during my inter-hostile takeover…some leader I am……fallen prey to non-existing demons………though, hehe, there's a demon inside me, now………heh, it's actually a lot worse than I thought it would be……just how does Raven cope with it?"

T-T-T-

Beast roared as he transformed into a hawk and soared into the sky.

Cyborg gave a warcry as he ran and dodged multiple beams from the aerial beast of shadows.

Raven hovered, her powers in full effect, flaring on all sides with cosmic black energy.

Above them all, beast included, Hel opened her arms, and drank in the excitement of the battle.

'_I've been having nightmares constantly since my arrival, no, even before my arrival here in Jump. It's always the same thing, over and over again. Like a carousel version of my biography out in video, and fixated on the repeat button in my head. And there's a script to those nightmares as well, and I've about memorized everything about those incomprehensible dreams, if, you can even call those visions dreams.'_

Hel smiled as she commanded the bat to ascend, baiting Beast Boy to follow. Once the green hawk was in distant, she whipped around and shot her liquidly arm into the changeling's neck, knocking the boy back into the grounds below.

Cyborg shot another beam of his sonic cannon, but his circuits suddenly pulsed and he shook with pain before he knelt down.

Hel saw the opening and commanded the bat to attack the immobilized android with a mouthful blast of black waves.

Said android lifted his head to watch the approaching attack with a look of defiance, instead, mane of violet blocked his vision and a black shield enveloped the front.

The shield shattered, causing some of the beams to reflect.

Raven glared at Cyborg.

He smirked.

'_Sometimes, I still wonder about the reasons that motivated me to establish the Teen Titans……because in reality, we're just a bunch of orphaned ghetto, cape crusader hypocrites, ex-except for you, y-your highness, hehehe. Why did I describe it like that? I'm not really certain myself, it's just the way I think things over. If I can just assuredly diminish our own image, then I can spirit myself to head up the hills. To go beyond what humanity and natural instincts standardize for me. That's what I want, and what I've always wanted.'_

Raven shot her hand towards the air. The hand pulsated with black energy and showered forth to the conniving woman with an utterly powerful force.

The shadow bat swirled to the side, flipping and flapping, and avoided the ball of dark easily.

Raven's eyes narrowed, and she clenched her hands.

The ball of dark stopped midair, and exploded into blades at random directions.

The bat shrieked as one blade severed its left wing.

Hel frowned as the creature lost its equilibrium and flight. She smirked.

Suddenly, she shot her arm forward. The woman's arm once again became moldy, but now it transformed into a dark mass of shadows, and merged with the missing wing of the bat creature.

Raven frowned as the aerial monster took flight once more.

Hel giggled and blew Raven a kiss.

'………_I'm saying all of this to you now, Starfire, is because when you regain your consciousness, I probably won't be here to repeat myself. You're my best friend Star, no single doubt lingering at all. It's you who I laugh with; it's you who gives me much strength to continue pushing and moving; and it's you who I want to remain living for……but that's not possible anymore. I'm harboring more death and shadows than I ever thought I would be……literally. And I believe I have to disappear before those darker sides get loose again……and the best option for that is for me to meet the Crimson Delight, and have the most profound chat with the devil in vigilante history.' _

The dimension shifted and sizzled, seemingly on the verge of collapse. Beast Boy had to shake his head out of the reverie of the hypnotizing effects it almost had.

Cyborg ran as blast after blast of energy chased him down a circle path he created. Sparks flew as he held a hand precariously over his shoulder, while cursing and yelping.

A bolt flew overhead, and zipped down to strike the android squarely on the forehead.

He knelt, and panted.

Another shot of red.

Cyborg grinned, and shot a rocket hand towards a far end, gripped at a piece of pillar, and reeled himself away.

The attack missed, and he counterattacked with his cannon and struck the beast away, which made Hel stumble and fall.

During her descent, Hel wiggled herself forward, ready to extend her arms toward the ground in an attempt to slow her acceleration.

She gasped as a green hawk flew next to her.

Beast Boy transformed into a snake and coiled himself around the woman's waist, attempting to restrict her.

His slit eyes of a snake widened as the woman's body deluged into pieces of body masses and dispersed into the wide area.

He shrieked in elfin form as Hel's head giggled madly, apart from her body.

'……_I have to apologize to you, again, Starfire. This whole city is descending into a proverbial version of hell too quickly for us to handle, but……with all of you around, this city might still have a fighting chance. Because I believe you and all of the others can still rescue everyone. You're powerful and cheerful, that's a combination of personality that I envy. I'm neither powerful and neither am I cheerful, it's just not in my humanity, because humanity is weak, there's no doubt about it. And that is why I've always fought harder, so I can prove to the world that humanity is not as fragile as some believe it to be…as I believed it to be…'_

Hel lunged forward towards the ground as her body began converging once more, and her eyes glowed distinctively red when she reappeared.

Raven glared at the sickening woman for a whole moment before her eyes glowed with the dark powers of the Sacred Daughter.

A beat.

The blonde monster raised her hand as waves of red energy coursed like a tidal wave.

Raven frowned and a shield surrounded her, and shattered as it defended her from the assault.

She then raised her hand, and countered with black needles.

Hel did not attempt to avoid the sharp energy attacks, having them merely penetrate her body and to recover just as quickly.

Raven raised her other hand, which glowed slightly grey.

The moldy woman raised an eyebrow before realizing the needles were still present in her clayish form.

Raven clenched her hand.

_FLASH!_

'_It's never been easy with all of this. Life and death, I mean. Whether to fear it or accept it………and I've been too unconcerned about this matter……for far too long. I ……I need to disappear, for your sake and especially my own. But this……is all drabble talk now. I need to return what you gave in exchange for my mind, though only for a brief moment. My sanity for the cost of your life, is not worth the trade. Black bolts and light…………………heh…what a funny jazz……'_

Hel withered in pain as a magnificent glow of grey and black pierced through her form.

The woman staggered to remain balanced, but was spontaneously tossed to the air as a gorilla gripped her by the arm, and flung her like a rock.

A sonic cannon immediately followed that, and a miniature firework took place in the aerial battleground.

Cyborg stood, with his arm posed, for another moment before he collapsed on the ground, kneeling.

He panted, grunted, then muttered 'booya'.

An elfin Beast Boy looked around with wide eyes, darting his field of vision constantly around.

Raven's power ceased.

She removed her hood.

Silently, she paced her way to the injured Cyborg.

Beast Boy yelped, catching the other two's attention.

The scenery of vortex and whirlpools slowly solidified, and slowly condensed into series of architecture. Pillars erected. Gardens appeared. Trees of oak and maple. A swingset, dangling from a branch of a tree.

A wind traveled by.

But it still smelled of blood.

And now it also smelled of roses.

Cyborg looked to Raven, and his lips parted for an inquiry.

A child appeared from behind a pillar.

Her blonde hair traveled with the wind, and she giggled innocently as she ran without her shoes.

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow. Swiftly, he jogged in front of Raven and Cyborg.

He gestured to the child, who now ignored them and ran off to the swing.

Cyborg grunted, and tried to stand.

He stopped as a pale hand rested on his shoulder.

Raven, blue hair traveling with the wind, walked toward the child, hoodless.

T-T-T-

Robin gingerly raised a hand over Starfire's forehead.

He 'breathed' once more, and his eyes welded shut.

He coughed.

"Hah…….! So many things to say…….but with absolutely no time to spare………curse you………curse all of you."

His body shuddered and he withdrew the hand.

Black bolts, shadows, and the light.

The moon was heating……

Robin placed the hand over his eyes, and he slowly allowed a grin to show.

"………Just what did I do…….ha, this Terra Firma………Star?"

He gazed at the Tamaranian's form sadly.

The girl laid peacefully, like a creature slipping into a snow of hibernation.

Her red hair glistened.

Her lips allowed the small puffs of cold vapor.

The cold vapor was ironically the sign of her life dwindling.

Robin's sides convulsed.

Trembling, he raised his fingers to his eyes.

Slowly, his eyes showed a glow of crimson, and it remained, unwavering.

He 'breathed'.

He clasped his hand around Starfire's.

"See you at the threshold of………of something, I suppose. Where I'm going, you're never going to be able to follow, it's somewhere that the good doesn't go to. I wish I could have finished my story……"

Bolts of black surrounded the boy, and it sizzled like a rebooting battery.

Crude images of reflection showed as the boy's eyes began to glow radiantly red.

And it grew brighter.

Brighter.

And Brighter……

Somewhere in depth of his mind……………something grinned.

"_Whatever it takes……right?"_

T-T-T-

Albert coughed, then chuckled. "Y-yes…….that is the melody, that is the melody I have yearned to hear for so long, so long…….."

Kahn stood, patted his arm, and turned around.

He began walking, never looking back.

The man treaded the cavern grounds harshly, making echoes that testified to it.

"…….t-tell me … who is the one who s-sings for you……? Just……who are you……? What is your identity?" His legs began dissolving into ashes. Dust to dust.

Kahn stopped and spun around to face the fallen man once more.

His left eye remained impassively black and shrouded, withholding words and truths that strained to be spoken, but remained a mystery.

He 'breathed', then snarled.

"I'm not a charity committee, pops. I have no obligation to answer any of your remaining insipid interests for this world of the living. Be glad that your life ended with the perfect ending: ignorant and blissful."

Albert snickered, and his voice somehow strengthened. "Hehehehe-hehe-ha…………blissful, perhaps. Ignorant……I am not………short is my time with the young lass who embodied herself with the wraith……but I know much more of this world of the crimson ones to simply advert all interests…….even before the very face of death."

"…………………………" Kahn frowned.

"This…….this world circles around fatality of the mortals and emergence of the carved stones of fate, and that is all the more endearing to those who do not appreciate the sentiment. The gravestones above our heads……they are carved with our names, identity and all, nothing amiss. We're all just pawns in a gigantic chess game, manipulated, waiting to be used in a grand scheme, then to be consumed by another piece, before the very end………when the moon burns….I……am not making sense to you…am I?" His legs were almost entirely dissipated.

"………………….."

"_When the moon burns, that is when the routine of the living ends_. I have unwittingly come to such a knowledge, and it is quite the m-mind bundling paradox."

Kahn twisted his hand, and scratched his scalp through his hazel hair. "Che. Alzheimer's Disease must be abundant around here."

"Ha……I-I am happy t-to be of service."

"Whatever, I have other businesses to attend to, as time's a bitch when it comes to deadlines." Kahn began his departure, again.

A beat.

"………y-you are-are not of this world, either. Do not bother the living for too long…"

Albert paused as the man halted in his steps, who turned around with his left eye brimming crimson red.

"Y-you are a specter……a ghost……a deadly, tormenting specter. I can feel it, bore into my flesh that you have destroyed………you are something long departed of the ones that breathe. Ages of malice and dire intentions……..j-just what is your objective…? Why have you come here………at all? I can feel it…….you are not even concerned about the occurrences around here……"

Slowly, a skin stretching grin formed on Kahn's face. His hazel colored hair fell around his left eye, with the red rays escaping through the gaps.

"Hehehehehe……." His eyes flared. He placed one finger on his forehead. "A specter……eh? HehehahahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" His sides convulsed and shook with his insane laughter. Winds of malice blew throughout the cavern.

Gradually, his laughter died out. The dying man gazed at him quizzically.

Kahn huffed a puff of cold vapor, and showed the man his brimming white fangs. "What your perception of a specter, old man, can very well be just another ideology for this shadowy world you cling at this end of your life. It's useless, and very, extremely, annoying. Shadows in the end are only the proof that light exists. Where there are shadows, there must be light. It's an equation, it's a fact, it's a definition."

The Eye pulsed.

"I came here because there are still shadows left to be bore into the light, and there is an extremely large light that needs to be released, whether or not through the tamper of death or life. There's no grim outcome for this, just an end to a means. So don't cling to this world anymore, go see what you left behind, or what you forsaken, if you dare, of course."

Dense silence.

Albert's arms sizzled into ashes.

"……………th-this world is imperfect. That is why it is so beautiful……please, be gentle with the innocent souls that can still live in this faltering world of life and death….."

Kahn's grin widened, if possible. "This world is more than just life and death, but…I always keep my promises."

"……………………"

"Be it through apocalypse or just a scrimmage of dancing elves and stupid umpa lumpas, I'll see that this world gets to see the light dance before its very eyes. Then, I'll get the chance to see true beauty. Hehehehe……"

The torso began its departure.

"……I s-see….."

Kahn turned around. Silence ensued.

The head remained.

Kahn turned back around, and took just one step.

"…………………tell me……will I be able to see her on the other side……?"

"…………………….," He scratched the back of his head, "…………this Terra Firma and the one in the next path are not that cruel. You'll find something to divert your incessant cling."

And he walked, the cave lit by the flare of the Eye.

He paused at the verge of the thickest of darkness.

"…….hmph. Maybe one day, I'll see you for tea and crumpets………"

Somewhere in the heavens, the Crimson Delight smiled.

And he was gone.

Dust gathered and dust flew. The remains of the man paled incredibly, like white stars amongst a field of shadows. But it was a gentle star, because the content smile on the man's face was unmistakable.

The man never breathed. He just smiled.

"………………I've missed you…………_Lily_…………."

Dust to dust.

T-T-T-

The child began to sway back and forth on the swing, kicking her legs higher and higher into the air, like a lone pendulum, like a grandfather clock.

Her giggles echoed throughout the grasses and tress.

The sunlight was still magenta.

Raven slowly walked over.

She briefly glanced aside, catching the glimpse of a broken toy. A miniature version of a Hawker Hurricane. Its damaged wings laid close, seemingly like a puzzle that could once again be grouped together.

Raven belayed her sight of the broken plaything.

The little girl's giggles echoed in the background, as did Cyborg and Beast Boy's whispers to each other.

She lifted a hand.

She closed her eyes.

A pause.

"………and so she created the first successful cognition of dire suspense in creepy history."

Cyborg poked the changeling on the temple. "BB, something tells me this isn't the place to be unconcerned about the need to be serious."

"Dude, I'm so gonna die while using my funny bones to tickle the world. It's the honor of comedians."

"What? You took a pledge or something, you sissy?"

"……………shhhhh, Raven's about to do something."

_Bzzzznnn!_ The toy glowed the familiar black energy waves, and floated into the air.

The wings reconnected, and Raven brought the object near her face.

The little girl had stopped swinging, and dangled her legs over the edge of the swing. Her curly blonde hair covered most of her face, but a distinct glimmer showed that her blue eyes were watching.

With a twirl of her hand, Raven propelled the toy plane upwards, towards the magenta skylight.

The toy plane glided, though with the aid of the powers of the Azar's pupil.

It soared.

It glided.

But most importantly……

It was in the sky……

_I folded the book, and placed it at the corner of the table. "…………that is a lot of things to be cautious of." _

"_True. There are indeed many things that are predicted in the stars." _

"_Then…………what do they mean?" _

"_They mean everything, and possibly anything," She smiled. "And yet………they could also mean nothing at all."_

TT

"_What is that supposed to mean?" _

_I glanced at her curiously, waiting, anticipating an answer, as I have always done. And as she always expected of me._

"_It means nothing, and yet it means everything at the same time. Just like the Epitaph…………in accordance to such, we are dead, yet our memories live on. No one can dispute or negate such a theory, this state of mind." _

"_The Epitaph……" I muttered, and with that in mind, I looked out towards the city, where the theme remained consistent and unyielding. The city was, to be best described: Grey. _

_I looked further, and soon I found myself staring into the stone presence of what was called the Epitaph. _

_She continued. "We digress and interpret many things, and the messages of the stars are just that: a guesstimate, if you will. They are prophets of the lives of many people, and yet they are also only partial determinations at best. We……decide the rest, through our actions and decisions."_

_I heard it all, but I made no reply. _

_I felt the flutter of butterflies against my skin, as I did sometimes. It was……unnatural. _

_I turned my head toward the outside. _

_There was some humming, a sermon, perhaps. _

"…………_there's never any wind around here." I blurted. _

_She blinked in slight surprise, perchance my musings were beyond any prediction, stars or not. . _

"_Of course, this is a world sealed from the pungent corruption that those call Terra Firma. The source of their breath cannot be made into the nectar of our life, that is what we avoid."_

"_Do you hate them?"_

"………_pardon?"_

"_I asked: do you hate them? Those outsiders, those corrupted people……d-do you hate them? Should I hate them?" _

"………………………"

"_W-why do I h-have to leave?" _

"…………………"

"……_everything I've ever known, is right here, in Azarath. My life……my knowledge……my-my……"_

"………………………"

"_We-we're here, this city, this community, all the people of Azarath are here because the world beyond is supposedly putrid and unscrupulous. Those are the teachings you taught me, the knowledge you bestowed, passed on to me are just that. Then, why do I have to venture into that outside world? Th-that……earth! That earth, it's bleeding, and there's no bandage, no healing for it." _

_She had long since my insane ramblings averted her gaze. Toward the Epitaph. _

"_Those people are making the earth bleed with their squandering of the life given to our reality! They indulge over consumption and then they-they………! Now you want me to enter that world, to find what? A path guided by blinking flares of nuclear remnants that are just lights that traveled to our vision of sight after millenniums it starte-"_

_A nearby china glowed black before it exploded into pieces of shards and glass. I shivered, catching my breath, and my emotions. _

_She didn't respond to either my outburst or the explosion of my lack of control. Her eyes were……distant. _

_I immediately willed myself to calm down. I will not be the end of this city or any other world, however corrupted those may be._

_Finally, the familiar glint of warm optics returned, and she addressed me……as the Sacred Daughter. _

"_Raven…………daughter of Trigon……" _

_I winced. _

"……_you must not allow your emotions loose, it will be the end if they are………you must not fear the out world, either. One must not allow hate to surmount oneself, for whatever reason there is. Remember that. Hate is the bane of humanity, and humanity is weak enough as it is, do not allow abstract conditions folly it even more. Especially………when there are righteous people as well as the evils in the outer world."_

_I took a glance at my right arm. _

_A beat. _

_I took a breath, and I shivered. _

"……_i-if I enter the otter world……I will eventually become an essence of evil as well. I………I don't want that to happen……I don't want my destiny…"_

_She smiled, just as she always did. "Raven."_

_I turned my gaze to her eyes, and for a brief moment, I felt a breeze, if I even could relate to what a breeze is. _

"_Destiny……is a path that can be forced upon an individual………but the method in which that individual walks that path, is entirely a dependent factor."_

"……………………"_  
_

"_One day, you'll see this firsthand, perhaps not in yourself, but in the form of others, and their actions. Destiny is within our grasps, hopefully, you'll hold on to yours with diligence and prowess………one that belongs to the Sacred Daughter. But most of all…………just make sure you're in the sky……ravens don't do well on the ground." _

_I repeated the last part of the sentence in my head. And verbally as well. _

"……_in the sky?"_

_She stood, and gazed at the Epitaph as I did. _

_The Epitaph………it was always constantly glowing………white…_

"_Yes, in the sky. Where one day, the sun will freeze and the moon will burn. And you must be the one to recover those on the fringe of death, before they can salvage your soul as well." She smiled again, "You know what they say, you scratch their backs and they will scratch yours, preferably clean nails." _

_For a moment, I felt the chakra on my forehead glow. I touched it, gently, as if fingering a source of fragile glass. _

_And the Epitaph shined in the great distance, like a beacon of light……_

_------------TT_

Raven reopened her eyes, violet optics determined.

The wind had somehow stopped, and the smell of blood was no more.

The small child frowned, or pouted, and she began shaking her legs back and forth.

"Hmmmm……now what was the purpose of that?" She pointed to the sky, "having some sentimental value with, well, nothing?"

Raven gave a lopsided lean to the left. "………………………………."

"Ohhh…so you figured it out? Splendid! That is most delightful! Heeheeheehee."

Raven's eyes glowed darkly, and her powers manifested on the verge of her clothes. There was still no wind.

"Yes, this is my childhood home. My memories created this place, in fact, all of the areas of arenas to household and to dungeon corridors are just a manifestation of memories. Hard to believe, but very true, I assure you."

Raven remained silent.

The child drummed her fingers against the chains of the swing. "So it was you who kept disrupting my magicks. Whether it be the swarms, the seals, the labyrinth. All of them, just overly impressive! Where have you learn such knowledge?"

"Return him."

She faltered. "Simon says who?"

"Robin, the Boy Wonder of Gotham. He belongs with us, all of us. Not anywhere here, he belongs in this world of darkness and foulness as much as he belongs in a gay bar."

The child pouted. "I have to disagree. He is very dark, and overly suppressed. His ideals of righteousness and justice are vastly different from the rest of you children. He fights for victory, and a finality, with definite hard core. Only, he never understood that finality of the cycle must be achieved with the ultimate end………death. And now, he has that."

A black flare.

Raven almost snarled.

"I don't care about whether he harbors death or if he's too dark. Robin fought for justice as a crime fighter longer than the rest of us, and he understands the true meaning of vigilante. He is only too determined and disrupted of the recent events. And when he returns to us, the Teen Titans, and the city, he will be able to see the light once more."

"And I have to respectfully disagree. He belongs with us, and my legions of shadows. He and I, all of us, must serve the Wraith. The one and the only, the beginning of the evolution. An ultimate destiny."

"Some people don't like their destinies, and more often than not, destinies are just plain craps."

The little girl's eyes glowed a deep red, like blood.

"Humans are nothing without some form of destiny, and as it is, humans don't have destinies, which is why they need to be involved in others', just like the one I endowed upon Robin. Hehehe…"

Raven fingered her red orb that was the Titan alarm. She took a breath.

"…………………….living in the light is the destiny of everyone…………"

Hel gave a blanched expression. She grinned.

"You may have survived so far, but when the true power of the Wraith is released, you will have no choice but to die. That can even be said to be your destiny."

T-T-T-

Cyborg reacted by arming his cannon. "Yo, BB. I feel the world's most horrific cat fight comin' up."

"M-meow." Beast Boy was shivering.

_Crack-ssskl-llleee!_

"Ahhh……c'mon, don't fail me now you amazing technology, just hold on a little longer for me……"

"Dude!" The changeling whispered harshly. "you're not gonna last, Cy! We gotta get you-"

A pulse of black.

A pulse of red.

The two boys blinked.

T-T-T-

The blue-haired girl narrowed her eyes. "Destiny can be walked fairly smoothly by a person."

"And yet they usually bleed to death before they reach the end, pity." The child's red eyes began to spread across the entire field. "I hold the power here, you do not understand, young sorceress, that you do not possess extreme powers of a great entity. Further more, you lack the resourcefulness to become a diligent spell caster. Far be it for me to chide you, but at this state of uninformed ignorance, I can only laugh and chuckle. You cannot even begin to fathom the potency of what is at progress here-"

Quakes began.

Hel silenced.

The wind blew again.

Shadows crawled from the corners of the houses and trees, like a morbid plague. As if the light was being absorbed harshly by the shadows, the brightness dimmed.

Raven drew a breath.

Her eyes flared black.

And for one of the rare times, her chakra glowed bright red.

_Cleeennnnnn-shhooooo!_

The wind blew extremely harsh, causing the blonde child to close her eyes slightly.

The shadows stopped moving, and retreated. Back to somewhere where the light wasn't as strong.

Raven was floating slightly.

A red flare.

Dark eyes.

The wind stopped.

Behind Raven, the dimension began to shift. The colors and landscape began to mend into a pile of swirls, like a tidal pool in the crafts of the under-seers beneath an ocean, and those same under-seers were horribly amused. Horribly. But still amused.

The landscape caved in, literally, boring in virtually streams of light that ascended from the middle of the sky. The stones, trees, grass, and all other forms of nature were in a motion of collapse toward the center of the grounds, as if reality itself was being consumed by a huge quicksand. But that quicksand was also reverting processes, regurgitating another reality in reciprocation. A reality that stained with the nostalgic memories of a child born with a destiny that was cruel and diminutive. A virtual ground state came about, and it was grey, and it was noir. But most of all, it was quiet, a silence that bred along with a breeze that never existed, until today. And in the back of the girl with violet eyes, and behind the entire landscape itself, was a gigantic stone emblem, with a moon sigil on its left, and a sun sigil on its right.

A breeze blew by.

Raven stared straight, with the sight of the Epitaph behind her back, at the befuddled child of blonde.

"Hilarious, isn't it?"

T-T-T-

Two more small fiends dispersed into nothingness.

From where he stood, Gilmour grinned. "And he earns fifty points! The patrons in hell all clap their hands with mirth in their cremated cheeks and throw their hands in the air!" He punched out the clip in the .45 and reloaded it with casualness.

He walked over to where the fiends were, and crouched around the corner.

Nothing but a path of broken pushing carts.

"What a mess…….and where the heck am I supposed to shop for groceries now?"

He raised his right hand slightly above his shoulder, and motioned with his index finger.

Lester rounded the corner of the building, his shotgun held by one hand and aimed downwards.

Sticking his back close to the wall, he scanned the area in another swift glance. He turned his head back, and called: "Clear. How bout' you boys and girl back there? Any internal bleeding that needs to be patched up?"

"On the reclusive accountability sir, we're just darn tootin'." He gestured backwards. "And the two newly weds are bickering like……um…newly weds."

"You're quite the linguistic, officer Havok."

"With all due respect, sir, you can suck my balls."

"Quaint, really quaint."

"Ow! C'mon, Sally! Can't you be a little more tender and caring? You're supporting a dying man, not a sack of dried potatoes!"

"On the account on how much television you watch, the similarity is on a rather thin variance!"

"Heh, say what you want, but I have my arms around you-oof!"

"Was it two cracked ribs? Oh no! Now it's three! What a shame!"

"Ah, that hurt, Sally! Do you **want** to kill me? If so, then next time when a giant monster with a gigantic stinger is about to make a puncture wound out of me, get out of the friggin' way!"

"That was different! I-I can't, I mean, I can't allow one of my teammates just die in plain view! It's against our code of conduct!"

"Pffft! Our code of conduct is to 'uphold the law and all that is righteous'! Not to strive for making a double homicide when it can just only be a single dead, gorgeous man!"

"Ha! Gorgeous? You look like a cheap rendition of-"

"Don't say it! Whatever you do, do not say what you're about to say!"

"-Elisa Lockhart!"

"Dammit! One time, just that one time, and people stalk you with it for the rest of your life!"

John swiveled his head back to the lieutenant. "They're gonna be just fine. Hell, I think this whole experience just sped things up, or something."

"……………………"

"………sir?"

Lester blinked. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I have ammunition. Don't worry."

"………of course, I'll just…….check with the kids."

The man turned around and walked toward the arguing duo, who though were arguing in a heap of hotheadedness, both were clinging to each other with their grasps.

As soon as John left the immediate area, Gilmour spoke: "This isn't going to be one of those interventions where you're going to demand a revelation that I will not deliver but secretly I hold all of the information in the world but a dark and horrible past trauma keeps me from divulging toward your good intentions completely?"

"Um……not really."

The man smirked, his lips curved in just a right amount of mirth. "Well, darn tootin', then. Cuz there's nothin' more annoying than backseat bitchers. Well, maybe Paulie Shore and politics. Worst combination, ever! Eh….then again, separately, they still make me cringe."

Lester rolled his eyes, just slightly. "Do you ever slow down? This is a conversation, not a tongue twister race."

"Please, you expect me to be a calm speaker, at this moment? I've got more adrenaline pumped in my veins than Arnold has steroids in his circulatory system, oopps, did I say that out loud? Hehehehe."

Lester shook his head. "All right, stop stalling. What in the name of Georgia is going on?"

Gilmour gave a sour look. "Huh. What makes you think Georgia knows anything? And stop using other people's name in vain, didn't you go to a Catholic school?"

The lieutenant gave a vexed and slightly angered glare.

"Oh, yeah. Shot fire with my arm. Dammit! I should have just let those two Ebony and Ivory die!" Gilmour cried with a smirk.

"All right, I get the picture: you saved my subordinates, and so all of us owe you-reluctantly-and a debt is a debt. But I can't just voluntarily ignore that there seems to be a chance that you're withholding information."

"You know who you look like? Colombo. Yeah, with a glass eye and a hobo look, you could-"

"Inspector, I am deeply tempted to fire three magnum shots straight into your ulcer, at this very instant."

"Speaking of ulcers, did you know that the chief has had a kidney stone incident three months ago? Guess who had to accompany him to the hospital. Moi, that's who, moi. That was definitely a gruesome weekend."

"Inspector, do not tempt me."

"Speaking oh which, have you ever watched that show: Temptation Island? God, the chicks are hot on that show-don't tell my wife-but what's up with the obvious distinction in the couplings? They're not making much sense-"

Lester restricted his hand from reaching his waist. His neck twitched slightly.

"Fine, fine. Inspector Gilmour, if you will not answer the question, then I'll just beat it out of you at a later time."

"It's a date then. But don't expect anything freaky, I don't put out until the third date."

The man chuckled as the lieutenant spun around while rubbing his temple.

"Hehehehehe. You gotta calm down. Laughter is the best medicine in this world, and it sure can use a big dosage of it at this moment."

"Go to hell."

Gilmour shrugged. "Sheesh. Give a man advice and he blows it out of his nostrils in flaming dispute. I recommend taffy."

T-T-T-

Lester made a small distance to the other three. "Hey! We've gotta keep moving, people! Is Basque bandaged yet!"

"At a bare minimum, sir." John answered from a crouching position. "He's got at least a fractured rib, and his collar bone is showing signs of damage. And on top of that…" He gave a glance.

"Ow! Be a little more careful, Sally. Remember, this is keeping me alive, not a strangulation contest!"

"If it comes to that, I'd be doing this world a favor!"

"……I'd suggest marriage counseling."

The lieutenant shook his head. "Well, let's just get them-"

A distinct rumble in the grounds.

Basque watched the ground as small pieces of concrete shook with turbulence.

Gilmour walked back to the four, all signs of mischievousness gone. "Hmmm………I'd say we're in a world of shit, right now."

Lester lifted his head.

Red eyes.

Swarms of shadows.

Scattered shrieks.

A hoard of deaths.

Perched on multiple sides of the buildings, were various forms of the shadow creatures. And between the alleyways, humans with the same red eyes, snarling and dripping with saliva.

The four officers both slowly withdrew their weaponry. Slow breaths, taken carefully and cautiously.

Gilmour stared at the sky.

Magenta.

He spat a sigh.

His arm began to glow red.

"Pooey. I guess I gotta use this again." He moved slightly in front of the group. "Man, maybe I should transfer to Metropolis."

Shrieks ran throughout the empty streets.

The creatures leapt from their positions.

T-T-T-

Hel stared in disbelief, her blue eyes shaken. "Wha……….impossible! How-how have you managed………? This is……heresy! This is my d-domain! H-how c-could you have……?"

She caught the sight of the Epitaph.

White.

"That is……….!"

_Foon-foon-foon-foon!_

She reverted her gaze back towards the front.

Raven gaze a menacing glare. "Feeling inadequate?"

Hel glanced downwards. There was an obvious line of division. Grass and stones of green on her half. Stones and pillars of grey on the other. The Epitaph.

White.

A wind blew by.

It was a breeze.

T-T-T-

The creatures closed the distance, rapidly.

Sally had her arm around Basque's back, and held a pistol in the front.

Basque had two grenades fingered in his right hand.

John and Lester both sported duo MK14's, locked and loaded.

Gilmour narrowed his eyes. He twirled his gun once.

"Get ready, boys and girls. This is gonna be one hellauva fun ride."

Just when the fiends were close enough in range, he pulled his hand-

_FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!_

"?"

A typoon of black tendrils extended from across the horizon. Lights. White lights.

All the monsters halted in midair and mid-path. They gazed toward the sky in confusion. They shivered in a rapid agitation that could not be perceived.

They threw their red eyed visions at all directions, shrieking and bawling.

Gilmour relaxed his hand, though just slightly, and threw Lester a glance.

The lieutenant made quick eye contact, but never lowered his weapon.

_**FLASH!**_

A beacon of black vortex pillared toward the magenta sky, raining down meteors of black bolts. A horrendous sizzling sound echoed throughout the city. Booming vibrations of thunder raced through the grounds, and the inspector finally saw the source.

The black domes.

They were becoming brighter, and rapidly smaller.

Scattered shrieks.

Numerous red eyes, but the numbers decreased, and at a fast rate, until the hoard before the four officers and the inspector dissipated.

"………………………………" Lester lowered his machine gun.

Basque and Sally both relaxed a grip they didn't know they formed.

John touched his eyebrow, furrowing his forehead.

Gilmour smirked. "It's official! There is at least one deity out there that friggin' loves me!"

T-T-T-

The child's eyes thinned, and her mouth formed a pure look of loathing.

A breeze was there.

"You…………..! Despicable, little, wench……!"

Raven took a step forward. "You said that this world can be swayed by your memories, your intent. Then, it will only require a mental prowess to manipulate the terrain of this dimension. I assume I just found the key."

Her hair glided with the breeze, and she gave a small, nostalgic expression to the side.

"And so…………….I created this with my memories……………long but not forgotten ones."

The Epitaph glowed.

Cyborg walked next to the girl, followed by Beast Boy.

"Yo, meet the Titans' queen. Ain't she the coolest?" He gave a confident grin. "Now, just surrender, or we'll be forced to send your creepy little butt all the way to purgatory."

He jerked slightly from a static bolt in his shoulder.

Hel shook her head, twice. "No………! I cannot allow this! How did this turn to be? How can you possibly tap into the powers of this contraption? This is my daddy's work! My daddy's! Do you understand what I'm saying? You're not worthy! You're just a group of imbeciles that know nothing but a humanity based on corruption and a world assumed on the basis of the morality of fouled ones! The aim of humanity that will ultimately drag society and the corpses of men into the grounds of oblivion!"

Beast Boy twisted his lip in an expression of awkward confusion. "Uh………kids these days. Can't understand a word they say."

"I won't allow you to sully daddy's work with your over arrogant dose of disrespect and ineptitude!

A flicker of black.

And a pulse of red.

Raven's violet eyes narrowed.

"Foul humans! Despicable teens, Titans!" She bit her lip and gazed toward the sky. "Albert! Come here this instant and kill these heretic brats! Albert? Answer me!" She whirled around, as if searching for something.

"Albert! I can't hear him, his mind is not-" her face contorted into a vision of insane anger. "Whhheeeeeerrreee iiiiisssss Allllllbeeeerrrttttt?"

"Holy temper! That chick's got some serious facial issues! Face scrubs, someone toss her some face scrubs!" The changeling commented, while moving slightly backwards.

"What a pain, something goes unexpected in her plans and she goes bonkers. Geez, not even Robin gets so pissed when we tamper with his utility belt."

_FLASH! FLASH!_

Hel whipped her head around, then to the sky.

It was blue and black.

"No. NOOOOOOOOOO! Those lights! The soul spheres! You disrupted the process! They were nearly complete, and you disrupted their progress! They were almost ready-almost ready-I was about to-"

She gripped her hair, shuddering.

"Hooooooowwwww daaaaaarrreeeee youuuuu**uuuu! Yoooouuuuu disssssrrrruuuppppttt my plaaaaanssss and deeeeelaaaayyyeed daadddddy's reeeeeeeeemmmmeeerrrrgeeeeennnce……**"

Cyborg and Raven gasped and Beast Boy yelped.

The child's appearance changed just as gradually as her voice did. Her entire complexion darkened, as did her clothes and hair. It became apparent that all her colors were slowly etching toward a darker hue, and a shade that was to become ultimately black.

Except her eyes.

They were blood red.

Raven tilted her head back. "Those eyes………they're so……"

The breeze changed as well. It regained the luster of blood and bile.

"**Preeeepaaaarreeee toooooo beeeee connnnsuuuummmeeeed!**"

T-T-T-T-T-

Starfire stirred.

She coughed, and her breath coursed fluently.

She opened her green eyes.

A few seconds passed as she just watched the grounds for patterns, while her mind collected consciousness and activity.

Her eyes widened and she bolted straight up. "Robin!"

The Tamaranian arched to the side, and winced. She felt her stomach, and found no traces of wounds or blood. But there was some pain, meaning there was once a wound.

She glanced around.

Silence.

She touched her arm.

She closed her eyes, and bit her lip.

She hugged herself, visibly shaken.

A few moments passed.

Green eyes reopened with determination.

She floated.

The girl stretched slightly, jolting muscles and joints.

She clenched her fists.

Breathed.

Stiffened her jaw, and flew at incredible speed towards a path.

One that was laced with the remains of black bolts.

T-T-T-

Steps echoed through the cavern.

Darkness was the only thing there, though it was still accompanied by a dim red glow.

A dripping sound.

Small shades of blue.

An unmistakable sound of grating, like a haunting musical played by the ghosts of an ancient citadel.

Steps echoed through the cavern.

A quake. A turbulence.

The cavern silenced. Kahn grinned in the dark, white fangs bearing almost visibly amongst the darkness.

"So it begins………….hehehehehehe……"

He rubbed his neck. "I suppose I'll need to hurry before things get too complicated to resolve." He began walking again.

The Eye pulsed crimson, intensely.

"?" He paused again.

The relic blinked in red. Flashing periodically in rapidness.

It was resonating.

"Hrmmmm…….this is…………." A beat, "………hehehehahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! How unexpected, but absolutely brilliant! Something like this actually happened! I can't believe it! This is just too good, both amusing and progressive!"

He clenched his fists.

White fangs in the dark. Very visible.

His left eye flared.

"The jolly good times are just so friggin' unending! Something up there must be laughing its ass off!"

Harsh steps echoed throughout the cavern.

A red dot blurred through at great speed.

It continued to resonate.

"_London Bridge is falling down, falling down……waahahahahahahaha!_"

T-T-T-

_FrrrriiiiiiAAAAAAANNNNN!_

Blackness danced all around. The three Titans watched in fascination and horror as the images and backgrounds shifted toward a mixture of all sorts of brief flashes of light and pictures of the mind.

Temples.

Lights, and shadows.

Stones, and flesh.

Blood and bile.

Texts and flames.

Smoke and mirrors.

Water and rain.

The three Titans glanced frantically around, slightly stupefied by the phenomenon.

Cyborg's mechanical optic beeped.

He raised his head.

"?"

Wormholes of blackness inhabited the sky, plaguing and consuming parts of the blue sky.

"No way…………!"

"No way what?" Beast Boy cried, "That we're all gonna die?"

The android shook his head. "Don't you see those holes? They're energy vortexes diamagnetically charged into pulses of quantum singularities!"

"Dude! You've had months to learn already! Use laymen terms!"

Raven stared at the sight. "They're blackholes……"

"What? Then shouldn't everything be sucked into something fierce? Not even light is supposed to escape those things!"

"**Cooooorrreeecccttttt**! **Liiiiigghtttsssss arrreeee nooooot toooo eeeeeescaaaaaaape**!

The changeling spun around, and his green pupils shrunk. "Mommy………"

A horrid shriek. Daggers of flames and tendrils of black.

Replacing what was previously a child version of Hel, now stood a gigantic being of darkness. Its red eyes spilled across the domain, lingering as if the red glow left traces of its diabolical essence.

"**Beeeehooold! Theeeee fooorm of theeeeee Wrrrrraaaaaith**!"

Sizzles of shadows consumed the area, and the veritable dimension pulsed and twirled like a million pieces of broken glass.

Raven's eyes were on the same expression as Beast Boy. She gasped. "……th-those eyes……!"

_Poon!_

She as suddenly tackled to the side by Cyborg, and a split second later, a huge hand struck nothing but dirt.

"Raven, pay attention to living-" _WHAM! _

Cyborg was cut short as he was pummeled away from the girl.

"Cyborg!" Raven shouted.

A huge pressure from above.

She gasped slightly and immediately formed herself into her powers in the form of a bird, and teleported away from the grasp of the behemoth demon.

Hel growled in her new form, and began moving, slowly, after the sorceress.

_THWACK!_

She jerked forward.

"?"

She looked downwards, and saw a green T-rex squeezing into her back.

The giant reptile roared and head butted the creature, combining with some tail whippings.

Beast Boy's eyes widened and swiftly transformed into a hawk and flew over the top to avoid an aerial sweep from a humongous arm.

He squawked in the air, and flapped his wings intentionally hard.

The monster growled and moved to chase the changeling, leaving behind all conscious remembrance of the girl in a fit of rage.

T-T-

Cyborg moaned as he flipped over to deal with the pain.

"Oooohhh…this feels worse than combat practice on Wednesdays!"

"Cyborg!"

He turned to the direction of the voice and gave a tired grin, his human eye displaying it blatantly. He coughed slightly.

Raven floated down, released from her energy form. She quickly crouched to his front, and touched his shoulder.

"Cyborg, how bad is the damage?" She shook her head, "Stupid question. You're the single most damaged person I've ever met."

The android gave a sarcastic grin. "Heh….h-hehe, yeah."

He looked to the far side, where a green bird was seen tangling with a gigantic black monster, barely.

"R-raven. Just what the hell is going on here? Wh-what is all this? Why the hell did miss creepy two thousand and four become a Godzilla reject?"

The girl bit her lip. "I-I don't know."

The android groaned slightly. "B-but you somehow managed to manipulate the dimension, just before. I th-thought you had this all figured out."

Raven furrowed her eyebrows. She closed her eyes. When she reopened them in a couple of seconds, she answered: "I………I honestly don't know entirely myself. All these things……they came naturally to me, like a predestined code."

"Well, does this predestined code have a cheat code where we win automatically?"

She shook her head. "I don't know enough, just that we need to help Beast Boy defeat her, before something else goes amiss."

The android gave a quick frown. "Tangling with supernatural beasts from ancient times…………this so just does not compute."

He began running forward when he was held back by a black wall.

"Huh? What gives? Rae! You mind letting me open my can of whoop ass?"

Raven frowned. "Do a viral scan or something, you dimwit. I can't allow you to risk your life further. Your arm is almost ripped entirely from your shoulder. Just……try to fight from a distance, please."

"Arrrghhhh! Fine! Only because I know time's a factor right now! But we're so gonna argue about heroic 'cans' and 'cannots' when we get back to the tower!"

She nodded.

The two reentered the field of battle.

T-T-

Beast Boy swiftly dodged another swipe and transformed into a cheetah to run a distance.

The wraith form of Hel shrieked as she gave pursuit, but it was apparent that her mobility was low.

An elfin Beast Boy laughed and blew a raspberry.

"Nyah! Nyah! You're never gonna get me lucky charms……damn, now even I'm making fun of my short status. Eeep!"

He rolled to side, avoiding an ultra-size black spear. _WHAM!_ The black weaponry retracted, and returned to the monster's arm from many yards away.

"**Fooooollll! Yoooouuuuu thiiiinnnnnk yoooouuu caaaan escaaaaapeeee?" **

Beast Boy growled as he got up. "Weeeeell, aaaa duuuuuude's gooooooottttaaaa trrrrryyyy…!"

He squealed again, changed into a leopard, and leapt away from another extended arm.

The monster roared again. She pulled her other arm back, and struck forward with vicious momentum and power.

Using his animalistic agility, Beast Boy continued to avoid blow after blow of strong impacts from the spears of darkness. Finally, he reached the base portion of the Wraith, and he changed into an elephant.

He released a fierce sound produced by the largest land mammal on earth and rammed into the beast's side, trying to force the creature's large frame to tilt.

The impact was strong enough to lift the creature's form slightly into the air.

A flash of blue.

_ZOOOON!_

A wave of sonic waves aimed straight into the opening. An explosion.

Hel's wraith form tilted and fell to the ground. _WHOMP!_

The monstrosity screamed. She caught the sight of a floating figure above her.

Raven raised a hand. Her powers formed. Blades of black flew down in a fury.

Unable to avoid the attacks, Hel's wraith form severed on many locations of its dark form.

The energy blades cut through the shadowy entity, but the parts remained attached, like doses of black flames, lingering and undispersing.

Raven narrowed her eyes and-

_Swooosh!_

She barely moved to the side, avoiding a piercing dark edge, which left a thin red line on her pale face.

The monster reared its other limp backwards, and-

_ZOOOON!_

"Yo! Godzilla reject! Get your grisly red dotted face over here!" The android's shoulder sparkled with electricity.

The wraith roared and reared its vision toward the Titan in a furious aggression.

"Cyborg! What are you doing?" Raven screamed.

Cyborg wagged his fingers slightly, with the hand that is pressed against the top of his cannon. "That's it, ugly, aim your ugly face at the pretty light……"

The monster opened its mouth, wide. It stretched to a gap of at least ten feet and counting.

It bulked its shoulders.

Cyborg's cannon sparkled.

A flash of red.

The creature's upper body shot forward in a slingshot effect. Its mouth was aimed straight for the titanium teen.

Cyborg took a sharp breath. He aimed……

_SLAM!_

A sudden force struck from above and clamped the monster's stretch mouth shut into a thin line of black. The force was great enough to cause a moment of immobility.

A giant whale miraculously transformed into a green hawk, took flight into the air, and landed as an elfin Beast Boy next to the android.

"Hoya! Two hundred tons of Antarctic bone-crushing ocean fury! Aqualad would so love to see this!" He blinked once. He held his stomach slightly and groaned. "Oooooo…… belly flop on shadow monster, owwww…"

Cyborg panted slightly. "Oh, man, that was scary." He slouched slightly. His cannon formed back.

In the air, Raven also breathed a sigh of relief.

She then turned her gaze on the semi-flattened behemoth.

No movement.

Beast Boy, one eye still wincing from the slight pain, spoke: "So………did we KO it?"

Cyborg opened his mouth-

_FLASH!_

A red and black blur.

_PAM!_

Raven and Beast Boy gasped.

"Whoa! Arrghhh!" The android bellowed as he was enveloped in a whirl of darkness and lifted into the air. Moments later, a crushing grip ensued, and he screamed as sparks flew not just form his shoulder, but his entire frame.

"Cy! Let him go you big tree!" The changeling yelled as he morphed into a rhinoceros and charged-

_FLASH!_

A foam of murky darkness also enveloped the green animal, but instead of a grip, it became a ring of pyreflies and flames.

Beast Boy morphed back into human form and panicked within the ring of flames.

He changed into a sparrow and took flight-

The fire ring rose to great height that matched the changeling's altitude.

He morphed into a T-Rex and took a gigantic step. The flames torched his reptilian skin.

"Aaahh! Boy on fire, boy on fire!" He had returned to humanoid form and rolled on the ground, holding his arm that showed black burn wounds.

"Azarath! Metrion! Zinthos!"

Some scattered stones and pillars floated in black energy forms, and rocketed toward the dark entity.

_Pooosh! Pooosh! Pooooosh!_

They all just passed through.

"**Iiiiiiiittttt iiiisss uuuuuusseeleeesssss**!" The monstrosity seemingly smirked, and held the pained Cyborg in front of its demonic red eyes.

"**Heeeee shaaaallll suffffeeeerrr**,** aaaanndddd yoooouuu shaaaallll waaaattttchhhh**……" The grip tightened.

"Aaaaaagghhhh!" Sparks flew. A twisting sound of metal.

The girl gritted her teeth. "Azarath! Metrion! Zinthos!"

Cyborg's body was encased in a protective barrier, pushing against the gigantic pressured grip.

The wraith grunted loudly in annoyance at the sudden defiance, and tightened its black hand.

Within the grasp and in the interior of the shield, Cyborg had his eyes shut and was wincing in pain all over.

Raven had both her hands extended, and her breath ragged hard. "Nnnnngggg!"

The shield contorted inward and outward.

The wraith's red eyes brightened.

Cyborg's breaths were ragged.

His eyes widened. "Rrrrrrghhhhaaahhhhhh!"

Scarping sounds of bending metal and pounding flesh.

Raven continued to stress her powers to the max.

The hand tightened some more.

Eyes full of desperation and fury. "Nnnnnnn! L-let him go! Release him!"

Red eyes.

The screams of a Titan.

Below Beast Boy whimpered, holding his sides. "J-jeez! Get up, Beast Boy! Y-you can't fail again, not Cy! You can't fail Cy!" He pushed against the ground, willing himself to rise, but he faltered and slammed upon the ground. "G-gotta get **up**! Ugh….ugh!"

Fervor pulses of magick. Desperate eyes.

She watched as the crushing grip closed some more distance.

_Skkk-tt-skkktt!_

"Aaaaaaahhhhh!"

The arm had severed.

Two red eyes.

What seemed to be a grin.

She gritted her teeth, trembling as she resumed her upmost struggle to save the male Titans.

_The most important thing………is the feeling of flight. _

"……I said……let h-him go……!"

Eyes of grey and white pearls.

_Shooooosssppp!_

Slowly, made into eyes of red.

Four red eyes.

"……rrrr……I said…LET HIM GO!"

_Shiiiiiitooooooonnn!_

The black dome encasing Cyborg expanded, stretching beyond the limitations set by the grip. It demolished the wraith's hand, and dispersed its shoulder.

The monster immediately backed away, and its red eyes yielded a gleam of fear.

Raven's cloak and hood flapped and tossed over, revealing the girl's features that now possessed an appearance that was……predestined.

Four red eyes.

Cyborg floated within the sphere, his left arm dangling with some half-severed think wires.

The teen was grey where it was once blue.

Raven lowered her left hand, directly influencing the sphere containing the fallen android to lower to the ground.

She shot her right hand forward. "Azarath! Metrion! ZINTHOS!"

_Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiioooooo!_

At the same time, the wraith widened its mouth, and shot forward in a bull charge.

"_Shrrrriiiiii!_"

Two red eyes. Four red eyes.

A clash of black and grey.

T-T-T-T-

"_Run all you want, you're just delaying things. Delaying everything that'll eventually just become sustenance for us, in the fervor of our glory. It's just like a play………and the ending is extra sweet for us…"_

Panting…

"_For every action, there is always a counteraction……a harmony of ethics……and in the end, the rebound is always the more feverish one. It will eventually devour you……"_

Black bolts, shadows, and the light…

"………_prepare yourself……ultimately, you will succumb…hehehehehehe……run little Scotsman, run! Well then, exit, stage right."_

A ripple of darkness.

A breath.

"_Let's begin act one…"_

T-T-T-T-

Flashes of an amalgamation of colors and dust.

Through the distortion of rays of black and grey, a body of green emerged.

Beast Boy rubbed his head painfully, his hair messed with crumbs of pebbles and debris.

"Nnngghhhh! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow." His eyes widened. "Aw jeez! R-raven! Cy! Where are you people? C'mon out! Por favor? Anyone? I'll even take a bad guy! But don't let that discourage you if you're a Titan!" He whipped around to see the fallen form of Cyborg, energy depleted and lifeless.

He hopped awkwardly to the fallen android, almost tripping and rested on his knees. "Hey! Cyborg! Y-you okay, dude? Aw, jeez, aw jeez. R-raven! Where are you! I think I need serious guidance here! Th-this is the perfect time for your backseat drabbles!"

Silence.

The surrounding area had become grey, replacing the previous colorful frameworks and vivid sceneries.

But there was no sign of either living thing, Cyborg included.

Beast Boy's eyebrows furrowed and he bit his lip in panicking debonair.

He returned his attention to Cyborg, with his hands gripping his head in a worried frenzy.

"This is just great……man, man, Cy, I hope you kept a spare battery in your a-"

_FLASH!_

A portal appeared in the middle of the entire area, flexing unknown pulses of energy.

Small bolts reacted with the electrons on the ground, creating small versions of static lightning.

Slowly, the form of two humans remained after the portal diminished.

"R-raven! Praise Christ, Buddha, or Tony Hancock! You're al-" His words caught in his throat as he saw the sight of the blonde conspirator, wriggling against an unseen force.

Hood cindered and hair fizzled, Raven closed her eyes in slight pain, with her hands holding herself up by pressing against the ground.

Her leotard had small scratches at certain areas, showing her pale skin.

And what looked like tattoos.

Glowing, and red.

She bit her lip, and breathed harshly. She shuddered from something, and she choked to the breeze in the whirl pool of visions: "…………I d-don't want any destiny……"

"….my, my, my! So this is your secret!" Hel's now more developed voice echoed. "Th-this is the reason you could perform so dauntingly well! Your powers, your sources, your defiance! And yet, despite all those arbitrary elements and factors……you're just like me! So very peculiarly so!"

The child form of a being stared at the female Titan in a look of revelation. "An ultimate destiny……hindered only by the wheels of time and the manipulation of ages. I saw flames…….I saw darkness…….I saw the stones of flesh…….! You, you're absolutely in congruence with what I am!" Her eyes glowed a blue. "Then why………why defy everything that you were born to become? Why-why? I saw it! The dark entity! The demon! The evolution of this world! Why are you delaying such a magnificent event?"

Raven covered her ears and released another harsh breath. And two more. And three more, until……

"Because……………………I don't do horror movies." She steadied herself, and wobbly stood.

She touched her forehead; her chakra.

"Don't judge………with that twisted perception of yours……it's really, unreliable. There's no glory to any of this…….just a massive pile of a waste of time. And it accomplishes nothing."

Hel sneered, and opened her mouth to speak-

"…you claim your goal…….is to evolve man through the path of shadows……but……all you really wanted……was to see your father."

Hel paused.

"I-I saw it………through your eyes………those moments……those red, red, red, moments. I…….." she shuddered again, "…………perhaps it's nothing I can understand……but, this is not anything that works with your father's intentions…"

The blonde frowned in anger. "Wh-what would you know? True, you've seen some images of my mind as well, but y-you, you do not know anything! You can't possibly…….the relief the Wraith gives! What it can do for all humanity……!" She hugged herself, shakily. "This world lacks it! I've seen the evils that dwell in the lands beyond. Even n-now, they gather in their dens of conspiracy, and plot, plot, plot, plot. Plotting nothing but the more gathering of blood and the loss of everything sacred! The only way to stop them, is to evolve, destroy, whatever it takes!"

With quivering pale, small hands, she pushed against her golden eyebrows. "This is only the rights of those who can salvage this world. S-such things need to b-be done! My daddy would want that, he would, he would………"

And the child hugged her knees to herself, repeating the last phrase like a chant.

Raven closed her eyes. "Yeah………." A beat, "……and I get manicures……"

In her dizzy status, Raven finally lost her balance and leaned to the side a little too much.

"!" Beast Boy leapt, and at the same time, transformed into a Saint Bernard, cushioning the girl's fall. He whimpered slightly, nudging against the girl's face, who laid on his back.

He turned back to the sight of the child hugging her knees.

In a green blur, he returned to human form, with a toothy frown plastered on his face.

He watched the small girl with that frown on his face, and a pair of angry green eyes. It appeared as if he wanted to say something, but as he watched the small girl quiver in fear and confusion, his expression softened.

Slowly, his brows furrowed, in a look of pained pity. With a burned arm, he lifted Raven's form more comfortable to his side. He took a sharp intake of a breath.

"Y-you're being pathetic."

His words seemed to have caught the girl's attention, because she stopped her chanting, and lifted her head. Her eyes were quivering with the same uncertainty that existed.

"I……I don't understand what's going on, I never do." He kept his eyes on the ground. "I'm not in tune with the world like Robin, or connected to the spiritual jimjam like Raven……but whatever is happening, I now know it's absolutely pointless on many levels. I…………I'm guessing you're doing a lot of these things for your father or somethin', but it's all in the wrong direction. You can't possibly get anything worth kudos from trying to-utterly-destroy a civilization itself. It's just……not how it works, it never does……"

"Wh………..what could you impudent children possibly understand? If you knew what the true nature of this world looks like, you would be joining my ranks-"

"I don't care!"

She stopped.

"I don't see where this is going toward and I sure as jimmy crack whore and I don't care! You don't want to rescue or salvage anything! Evolution my hairy green butt! You-you just wanted to do somethin' you've been hammering yourself for the longest time! I know that feeling! The feeling of utter regret………" He took a sharp breath. He shuddered, and he bit his lips. "I-I……I-I don't wanna feel that regret anymore……" He opened his green eyes, slight determination glowing. "I won't allow you to harm any of my friends, or this city, because it was saved by a much prettier blonde than you."

Just for a moment, Hel studied the green boy who did not so much looked threatening than he was comical. Ragged and burned as he was, the changeling held no stature.

A pause.

She giggled. Her hair covered her face. And then she laughed.

Though bitterly.

And Beast Boy watched, with confused but alert eyes.

Hel continued to giggle, speaking as she managed to stifle some of the merriness in her voice. "Hee-h-hee hehehehehe! Gosh, golly, y-you children are so-so magnificently foolish! It's so utterly discerning and concerning at the same time! Heheheheehhehe!"

She continued to giggle a little longer, before she sighed exasperatedly, and placed her hands on her knees. For a moment, she looked like the little girl her shape took in.

"Regret…………………just what part of that particular emotion do you understand, Mr. Beast Boy? A failed test? A chance at a flashy transportation? The glory of being a hero? The chance to lose your virginity? You cannot possibly truly understand the daunting, scaling feeling that is regret. The days I've spent……..contending and calculating…………and remembering. That is what regret is. And do not let it be me who judges what you believe you've experienced, but this dastardly simplistic reality you live in does not even come close to what I've seen, what I've heard. A mere child you are…………ignorant and yet nothing to be of bliss, knowing absolutely nothing."

A pause.

"M-maybe so. But I've felt regret, and I still feel it now, which is exactly the reason why I won't let it fester even more." He clenched his fist, green and all. "And if you really understand as you claim, then you'd do the same. I'm not going to fail again, and if you still want to continue your Emily Dickinson styled rampage, then I'll fight you tooth and nail, literally."

"…………………………"

She gazed into the green orbs of Beast Boy's eyes. The changeling stared back defiantly, giving off an aura of a human and the scent of a ……….beast.

A pause.

"………………………………….perhaps I was wrong. This city……it might still have some of its hope left from that Pandora's Box." She mumbled, away from the hearing distance of the changeling.

"?"

"Heh……my powers are depleted, emptier than the municipal chapel. I have no chance for victory, now, so I have no will to fight on with you. You may relax."

The green Titan eyed the once-enemy critically, expression confused and cautious.

Beast Boy was concentrating on the girl's movements, when he felt Raven shifting on his back. His attention immediately snapped to attention.

Hel also watched the pale girl groan slightly in her unconscious state.

A pause.

"That young woman……………do you know of her destiny?"

"………………? Uh……as much as I know what her bra size is, and that begs to a weird story. Hehe-uh, yeah……"

"Heh hehehehehe. There's a hidden prowess within her, something so devious and alluring. I have just seen it, through her eyes, what the future of this world holds. The sight of a sorceress doomed by the Axes. I've seen it all. By time's rendition, you'll all see it. The bloody red moment of truth, and regret, and then……many marbles that were made from flesh."

"………………….?"

"You too, have a beast. Mr. Beast Boy, a deadly, destined fate. My, how ironic that the Teen Titans have so much darkness in them than anyone has realized! I see it now! The shadows! The light! This-this is what was meant by the shadows! It's been so obvious……!"

"W-whoa, lady, what-what are you talking about?"

Hel chuckled, her fingers trailing across her eyelids, as if sensually feeling her own flesh. "Oooohhh, you'll seeee……you'll see it alright. When the hands of the clock strikes midnight, you'll witness it for your absolute pleasure……"

The young Titan could only gasp as he watched a rip of the woman's shoulder, with her own sharp nails.

"Wait! What are you…"

"Hehehehe," she giggled, as she felt the crimson form of life flow through the spaces between her fingers, "remember this, Mr. Titan, remember these names well, engrave them in your hands if you do not trust your head….the Axes, the Epitaph, Seraph's Clock, and……**Mercury Gaia**…"

Beast Boy shuddered as he heard those words register within his pointy ears, but he could still only gasp, as now the woman before him slowly showed more shadows, like laces of fairy dust.

"I must apologize for what needs to take place: a fiery death for a woman who could not entrap her own vocal capabilities, and your bearing witness to such an event."

With a wicked smile, the woman held her hands for the green changeling to see, as flesh slowly converted into black dust, and a once diminished red glow from the eyes returned, with a renewed vigor.

"Heeheehee, as they say: once you go black, you never come back."

"Wait! What's going on? What's happening to you?"

"This, is just the perfect ending for someone who failed the trials of achieving victory. I now know why those low lives allowed me to entreat them to the heart of their machinations, it is so they can eradicate me with a pump of blood." She smiled crookedly. "Or perhaps……they wanted me to see the grand fiasco through the red eyes of an unworldly demon? Either way, daddy and I……we were both deceived…"

The red taint began to spread, like a wildfire, which is because the flames alit and a cycle of consummation took place.

**_Sssskkk-tt-shhhh_**!

"……uh……ugh……?"

In an instant flash, Hel's body was entrapped by spikes of inferno, cracking and croaking as flesh normally does under extreme temperatures. Through the roaring flames, only the woman's lips could be seen, and spoke: "_Remember those names, Mr. Beast Boy, they will be haunting you and the rest of the Titans soon enough……skkk-heee……like oxygen, they are easily reactive, and will assimilate with whatever they destroy……hee-skkk……and they are at every corner……and they are what contributes to these flames……………he-skkk-heee……watch me burn and know that this is the price of failure……! Heeeeh……and also……"_

Every anatomical part of the woman vaporized, besides the speaking mouth. **_Flash!_**

"……_I'd suggest you to run."_

In a moment of rapture, the crimson flames faded and was washed over with black, once again.

Flash! A 'new' pair of red eyes.

And a beastly snarl.

The atmosphere of the room darkened, more so than any sewer or depressed graveyard. A shadow that loomed over the sun, and a roar that could awaken the dead to kill them in repeat.

"**_Srrrrrrkkkk-Kaaaaaaahhh!_**"

Beast Boy snapped out of his reverie, and his eyes widened at the sight of the something unknown. He quickly located where Cyborg's body remained and leapt halfway with Raven roughly carried on his shoulders.

Flash!

Black flames encircled around the changeling under a second. Beast Boy yelped, but only from surprise, not pain.

"Wh-what the **heck**?" Still enwrapped by the dark flames, he was slammed aside to the ground, without the unconscious Raven on his back.

The female Titan was being raised higher into the dimension of dark flames, being scrutinized by the entity of sudden appearance.

A moment of an ancient pulse.

A red, pulse.

Raven tensed, her body jolted, with her mouth agape, she opened her eyes……

The unknown essence pulsated with contagion effect, but bolted to a halt as four bloody eyes quaked and narrowed in utter, confounding….

Waves of black and ripples of grey, then…

Flash!

"**RaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAHHHH**!"


End file.
